The Art of Cinematic Editing: A Final Cut Pro X Tutorial

Full Guide on Making a Big-budget Cinematic Look Video with Final Cut Pro X

Caroline Laurent

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Do you enjoy the view of movies? Do you find your videos dull and unexciting? How about giving a cinematic look to your videos?

I bet a lot of editors have been there. However, it won’t take you long to find out that movies are quite different from the video you recorded and edited.

No worries, this article explains why there are differences between self-made videos and movies, as well as simple yet detailed steps to make cinematic look videos with FCPX.

• Part 1: Difference between a Cinematic Look and a Normal Video?
• Part 2: How to Make a Cinematic Look Film Video with FCPX?
• Part 3: What Other Factors Contribute to Film-Look Videos?
• Part 4: How to Add Cinematic Look to Your Footage in easy ways?

Part 1: Difference between a Cinematic Look and a Normal Video?

The term cinematic is often referred to the black bars or wide-screen frame ratios. Photographers and filmmakers use the term cinematic to describe the look of movies and pictures shot on film.

However, the term has changed its meaning with the advent of digital video and the invention of high-tech devices. With the evolution of the internet across the globe, YouTubers, videographers, and social media influencers have started using this term to describe anything related to cinema and film. In other words, a cinematic look is an unconventional, film-look, and professional appearance of a video that makes a normal clip look elegant and worth watching. See the top 10 movies made by FCPX here.

So, here we draw a line between a normal video and the one with a cinematic look. In the latter, you adjust everything that is directly or indirectly linked to the quality of a video, including but not limited to colors, appearance, light, motion, frame rate, composition, and camera movements.

Resolution refers to the horizontal pixel count such as 2K (2.2 megapixels) or 4K (8.8 megapixels). Similarly, the frame rate defines the number of individual images or frames being displayed on the TV screen per second. The universally accepted film frame rate is 24 FPS, which is used to make high-definition videos. However, most TV broadcasts and shows are recorded at 30fps. See more about FPS here .

Thanks to the advanced video editing tools and applications that have made it easier to capture a cinematic look or make HD cinematic look videos with basic camera setups. If you want to get your desired cinematic look, read the following section.

Part 2: How to Make a Cinematic Look Film Video with FCPX?

The latest features and user-friendly dashboard of Final Cut Pro X allow users (even beginners) to add effects and increase the aesthetics of their videos. Follow these four simple steps to make a cinematic look high-resolution video with Final Cut Pro X.

Step 1: 4K Resolution and Low Frame Rate

To achieve ideal cinematic aesthetics, you need high-quality 4K resolution videos, awesome exposure, the right codec, and lighting. Hence, to start with, capture a high-quality 4K Canon RAW shot with the latest high-tech Canon Log 2 camera. You can also use other devices and choose different codecs and color profiles to get the best color grade.

Step 2: Color Grading and Color Correction

After importing your footage, get ready for color corrections to address issues like conversions for LOG formats through white balance adjustments. Color corrections normalize the color of HD videos into a standard format. Here’s how you can do this:

1. Go to the Inspector Panel and select the Extended Function
2. Select the C-Log 2 conversion LUT

1. Make minor exposure and white balance adjustments as per your scope
2. Select the Color Wheels and Color Mask features to custom select specific areas and colors
3. Adjust your color grade according to your requirements
4. Use Color Masking to improve the shadow’s appearance and warm-up mid-tones
5. You will get a strong color contrast in your footage.

Step 3: Use Slow Motion at the Right Timing

Final Cut Pro X allows its users to make both constant and variable speed changes without disturbing the audio’s pitch. By using slow-motion effects at the right timing, you can make your videos adorable and give them a cinematic look.

• Select your video and click on the Retiming button
• Tap on the Slow section

• You will see multiple options to slow down the speed of your clip
• The smaller number will slow down your footage
• To apply custom retiming amounts, again click on the Retiming button and select the Custom option
• Custom the speed of your clip over 100% or less than 100% as you want
• After selecting a value, your selected clip will become longer on the timeline.

Step 4: Adopt Film Grain to Make Film-look Videos

Film grain overlays give your videos vintage and cinematic look. Follow these steps to use these film grains in Final Cut Pro X:

1. Import your footage and film grains downloaded from the internet and layer them into your timeline
2. Place the film grain on top of your clip
3. Select the clip and go to the FCPX blend mode dropdown menu located on the top-right of your screen
4. Click on the Overlay and adjust the opacity of the film grain overlay as required.

Part 3: What Other Factors Contribute to Film-Look Videos

While making cinematic-look videos, also considering the following factors:

Framing

While filming, one must be aware of the emotion to be captured in the frame. For this purpose, follow the “Rule of Thirds,” which means to divide your short into three horizontal and vertical sections and select the third shot to produce some effect.

Tilt Shift

Instead of shooting your clips with a UHD camera, you can add cinematic effect with the Tilt-shift feature by setting the focus of your video. For this purpose, right-click on the video, select Power Tool and check the box with the option Apply Tilt-shift to the clip. Use the slider to adjust the focus.

Background Music

Cinematic clips without background music seem to be unexciting and boring. Adding melodious background music makes your videos look more professional and enjoyable. You can add default music or your favorite music downloaded from the internet by clicking on the Music tab.

Titles and Subtitles

Adding subtitles to your videos can make them understandable for viewers who speak a different language. Click on Text/Credit in Filmora and select Subtitles to add subtitles to your video.

Part 4: How to Add Cinematic Look to Your Footage in Easy Ways

Filmora is an advanced video editing tool developed by Wondershare. Its user-friendly and easy-to-understand interface makes it popular among beginners as well as professionals. And the best thing about Filmora is that the editor provides rich options of presets, effects, and filters to add a film look to your video.

Here’s how you can add a cinematic look to your footage with Filmora.

1, choose Effect

2, search for “cinematic” or “film”

3, drag the effect you like to the timeline

4, done!

Simple steps, right? For more stunning effects and film-look packages, try filmstock !

Conclusion

Get rid of unexciting and dull videos with no animations or effects. It’s time to add a cinematic look to your videos to make them look more professional and elegant.

A variety of tools and applications are available to make cinematic look videos such as Final Cut Pro X and Filmora. Both these software offers advanced video editing features and allow you to make high-resolution cinematic-look videos. You can adjust various aspects of your video such as colors, aesthetics, resolution, motion, frame rate, composition, and camera movements with these two applications.

Caroline Laurent

Caroline Laurent is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Caroline Laurent

Caroline Laurent

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Do you enjoy the view of movies? Do you find your videos dull and unexciting? How about giving a cinematic look to your videos?

I bet a lot of editors have been there. However, it won’t take you long to find out that movies are quite different from the video you recorded and edited.

No worries, this article explains why there are differences between self-made videos and movies, as well as simple yet detailed steps to make cinematic look videos with FCPX.

• Part 1: Difference between a Cinematic Look and a Normal Video?
• Part 2: How to Make a Cinematic Look Film Video with FCPX?
• Part 3: What Other Factors Contribute to Film-Look Videos?
• Part 4: How to Add Cinematic Look to Your Footage in easy ways?

Part 1: Difference between a Cinematic Look and a Normal Video?

The term cinematic is often referred to the black bars or wide-screen frame ratios. Photographers and filmmakers use the term cinematic to describe the look of movies and pictures shot on film.

However, the term has changed its meaning with the advent of digital video and the invention of high-tech devices. With the evolution of the internet across the globe, YouTubers, videographers, and social media influencers have started using this term to describe anything related to cinema and film. In other words, a cinematic look is an unconventional, film-look, and professional appearance of a video that makes a normal clip look elegant and worth watching. See the top 10 movies made by FCPX here.

So, here we draw a line between a normal video and the one with a cinematic look. In the latter, you adjust everything that is directly or indirectly linked to the quality of a video, including but not limited to colors, appearance, light, motion, frame rate, composition, and camera movements.

Resolution refers to the horizontal pixel count such as 2K (2.2 megapixels) or 4K (8.8 megapixels). Similarly, the frame rate defines the number of individual images or frames being displayed on the TV screen per second. The universally accepted film frame rate is 24 FPS, which is used to make high-definition videos. However, most TV broadcasts and shows are recorded at 30fps. See more about FPS here .

Thanks to the advanced video editing tools and applications that have made it easier to capture a cinematic look or make HD cinematic look videos with basic camera setups. If you want to get your desired cinematic look, read the following section.

Part 2: How to Make a Cinematic Look Film Video with FCPX?

The latest features and user-friendly dashboard of Final Cut Pro X allow users (even beginners) to add effects and increase the aesthetics of their videos. Follow these four simple steps to make a cinematic look high-resolution video with Final Cut Pro X.

Step 1: 4K Resolution and Low Frame Rate

To achieve ideal cinematic aesthetics, you need high-quality 4K resolution videos, awesome exposure, the right codec, and lighting. Hence, to start with, capture a high-quality 4K Canon RAW shot with the latest high-tech Canon Log 2 camera. You can also use other devices and choose different codecs and color profiles to get the best color grade.

Step 2: Color Grading and Color Correction

After importing your footage, get ready for color corrections to address issues like conversions for LOG formats through white balance adjustments. Color corrections normalize the color of HD videos into a standard format. Here’s how you can do this:

1. Go to the Inspector Panel and select the Extended Function
2. Select the C-Log 2 conversion LUT

1. Make minor exposure and white balance adjustments as per your scope
2. Select the Color Wheels and Color Mask features to custom select specific areas and colors
3. Adjust your color grade according to your requirements
4. Use Color Masking to improve the shadow’s appearance and warm-up mid-tones
5. You will get a strong color contrast in your footage.

Step 3: Use Slow Motion at the Right Timing

Final Cut Pro X allows its users to make both constant and variable speed changes without disturbing the audio’s pitch. By using slow-motion effects at the right timing, you can make your videos adorable and give them a cinematic look.

• Select your video and click on the Retiming button
• Tap on the Slow section

• You will see multiple options to slow down the speed of your clip
• The smaller number will slow down your footage
• To apply custom retiming amounts, again click on the Retiming button and select the Custom option
• Custom the speed of your clip over 100% or less than 100% as you want
• After selecting a value, your selected clip will become longer on the timeline.

Step 4: Adopt Film Grain to Make Film-look Videos

Film grain overlays give your videos vintage and cinematic look. Follow these steps to use these film grains in Final Cut Pro X:

1. Import your footage and film grains downloaded from the internet and layer them into your timeline
2. Place the film grain on top of your clip
3. Select the clip and go to the FCPX blend mode dropdown menu located on the top-right of your screen
4. Click on the Overlay and adjust the opacity of the film grain overlay as required.

Part 3: What Other Factors Contribute to Film-Look Videos

While making cinematic-look videos, also considering the following factors:

Framing

While filming, one must be aware of the emotion to be captured in the frame. For this purpose, follow the “Rule of Thirds,” which means to divide your short into three horizontal and vertical sections and select the third shot to produce some effect.

Tilt Shift

Instead of shooting your clips with a UHD camera, you can add cinematic effect with the Tilt-shift feature by setting the focus of your video. For this purpose, right-click on the video, select Power Tool and check the box with the option Apply Tilt-shift to the clip. Use the slider to adjust the focus.

Background Music

Cinematic clips without background music seem to be unexciting and boring. Adding melodious background music makes your videos look more professional and enjoyable. You can add default music or your favorite music downloaded from the internet by clicking on the Music tab.

Titles and Subtitles

Adding subtitles to your videos can make them understandable for viewers who speak a different language. Click on Text/Credit in Filmora and select Subtitles to add subtitles to your video.

Part 4: How to Add Cinematic Look to Your Footage in Easy Ways

Filmora is an advanced video editing tool developed by Wondershare. Its user-friendly and easy-to-understand interface makes it popular among beginners as well as professionals. And the best thing about Filmora is that the editor provides rich options of presets, effects, and filters to add a film look to your video.

Here’s how you can add a cinematic look to your footage with Filmora.

1, choose Effect

2, search for “cinematic” or “film”

3, drag the effect you like to the timeline

4, done!

Simple steps, right? For more stunning effects and film-look packages, try filmstock !

Conclusion

Get rid of unexciting and dull videos with no animations or effects. It’s time to add a cinematic look to your videos to make them look more professional and elegant.

A variety of tools and applications are available to make cinematic look videos such as Final Cut Pro X and Filmora. Both these software offers advanced video editing features and allow you to make high-resolution cinematic-look videos. You can adjust various aspects of your video such as colors, aesthetics, resolution, motion, frame rate, composition, and camera movements with these two applications.

Caroline Laurent

Caroline Laurent is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Caroline Laurent

Caroline Laurent

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Do you enjoy the view of movies? Do you find your videos dull and unexciting? How about giving a cinematic look to your videos?

I bet a lot of editors have been there. However, it won’t take you long to find out that movies are quite different from the video you recorded and edited.

No worries, this article explains why there are differences between self-made videos and movies, as well as simple yet detailed steps to make cinematic look videos with FCPX.

• Part 1: Difference between a Cinematic Look and a Normal Video?
• Part 2: How to Make a Cinematic Look Film Video with FCPX?
• Part 3: What Other Factors Contribute to Film-Look Videos?
• Part 4: How to Add Cinematic Look to Your Footage in easy ways?

Part 1: Difference between a Cinematic Look and a Normal Video?

The term cinematic is often referred to the black bars or wide-screen frame ratios. Photographers and filmmakers use the term cinematic to describe the look of movies and pictures shot on film.

However, the term has changed its meaning with the advent of digital video and the invention of high-tech devices. With the evolution of the internet across the globe, YouTubers, videographers, and social media influencers have started using this term to describe anything related to cinema and film. In other words, a cinematic look is an unconventional, film-look, and professional appearance of a video that makes a normal clip look elegant and worth watching. See the top 10 movies made by FCPX here.

So, here we draw a line between a normal video and the one with a cinematic look. In the latter, you adjust everything that is directly or indirectly linked to the quality of a video, including but not limited to colors, appearance, light, motion, frame rate, composition, and camera movements.

Resolution refers to the horizontal pixel count such as 2K (2.2 megapixels) or 4K (8.8 megapixels). Similarly, the frame rate defines the number of individual images or frames being displayed on the TV screen per second. The universally accepted film frame rate is 24 FPS, which is used to make high-definition videos. However, most TV broadcasts and shows are recorded at 30fps. See more about FPS here .

Thanks to the advanced video editing tools and applications that have made it easier to capture a cinematic look or make HD cinematic look videos with basic camera setups. If you want to get your desired cinematic look, read the following section.

Part 2: How to Make a Cinematic Look Film Video with FCPX?

The latest features and user-friendly dashboard of Final Cut Pro X allow users (even beginners) to add effects and increase the aesthetics of their videos. Follow these four simple steps to make a cinematic look high-resolution video with Final Cut Pro X.

Step 1: 4K Resolution and Low Frame Rate

To achieve ideal cinematic aesthetics, you need high-quality 4K resolution videos, awesome exposure, the right codec, and lighting. Hence, to start with, capture a high-quality 4K Canon RAW shot with the latest high-tech Canon Log 2 camera. You can also use other devices and choose different codecs and color profiles to get the best color grade.

Step 2: Color Grading and Color Correction

After importing your footage, get ready for color corrections to address issues like conversions for LOG formats through white balance adjustments. Color corrections normalize the color of HD videos into a standard format. Here’s how you can do this:

1. Go to the Inspector Panel and select the Extended Function
2. Select the C-Log 2 conversion LUT

1. Make minor exposure and white balance adjustments as per your scope
2. Select the Color Wheels and Color Mask features to custom select specific areas and colors
3. Adjust your color grade according to your requirements
4. Use Color Masking to improve the shadow’s appearance and warm-up mid-tones
5. You will get a strong color contrast in your footage.

Step 3: Use Slow Motion at the Right Timing

Final Cut Pro X allows its users to make both constant and variable speed changes without disturbing the audio’s pitch. By using slow-motion effects at the right timing, you can make your videos adorable and give them a cinematic look.

• Select your video and click on the Retiming button
• Tap on the Slow section

• You will see multiple options to slow down the speed of your clip
• The smaller number will slow down your footage
• To apply custom retiming amounts, again click on the Retiming button and select the Custom option
• Custom the speed of your clip over 100% or less than 100% as you want
• After selecting a value, your selected clip will become longer on the timeline.

Step 4: Adopt Film Grain to Make Film-look Videos

Film grain overlays give your videos vintage and cinematic look. Follow these steps to use these film grains in Final Cut Pro X:

1. Import your footage and film grains downloaded from the internet and layer them into your timeline
2. Place the film grain on top of your clip
3. Select the clip and go to the FCPX blend mode dropdown menu located on the top-right of your screen
4. Click on the Overlay and adjust the opacity of the film grain overlay as required.

Part 3: What Other Factors Contribute to Film-Look Videos

While making cinematic-look videos, also considering the following factors:

Framing

While filming, one must be aware of the emotion to be captured in the frame. For this purpose, follow the “Rule of Thirds,” which means to divide your short into three horizontal and vertical sections and select the third shot to produce some effect.

Tilt Shift

Instead of shooting your clips with a UHD camera, you can add cinematic effect with the Tilt-shift feature by setting the focus of your video. For this purpose, right-click on the video, select Power Tool and check the box with the option Apply Tilt-shift to the clip. Use the slider to adjust the focus.

Background Music

Cinematic clips without background music seem to be unexciting and boring. Adding melodious background music makes your videos look more professional and enjoyable. You can add default music or your favorite music downloaded from the internet by clicking on the Music tab.

Titles and Subtitles

Adding subtitles to your videos can make them understandable for viewers who speak a different language. Click on Text/Credit in Filmora and select Subtitles to add subtitles to your video.

Part 4: How to Add Cinematic Look to Your Footage in Easy Ways

Filmora is an advanced video editing tool developed by Wondershare. Its user-friendly and easy-to-understand interface makes it popular among beginners as well as professionals. And the best thing about Filmora is that the editor provides rich options of presets, effects, and filters to add a film look to your video.

Here’s how you can add a cinematic look to your footage with Filmora.

1, choose Effect

2, search for “cinematic” or “film”

3, drag the effect you like to the timeline

4, done!

Simple steps, right? For more stunning effects and film-look packages, try filmstock !

Conclusion

Get rid of unexciting and dull videos with no animations or effects. It’s time to add a cinematic look to your videos to make them look more professional and elegant.

A variety of tools and applications are available to make cinematic look videos such as Final Cut Pro X and Filmora. Both these software offers advanced video editing features and allow you to make high-resolution cinematic-look videos. You can adjust various aspects of your video such as colors, aesthetics, resolution, motion, frame rate, composition, and camera movements with these two applications.

Caroline Laurent

Caroline Laurent is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Caroline Laurent

Caroline Laurent

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Do you enjoy the view of movies? Do you find your videos dull and unexciting? How about giving a cinematic look to your videos?

I bet a lot of editors have been there. However, it won’t take you long to find out that movies are quite different from the video you recorded and edited.

No worries, this article explains why there are differences between self-made videos and movies, as well as simple yet detailed steps to make cinematic look videos with FCPX.

• Part 1: Difference between a Cinematic Look and a Normal Video?
• Part 2: How to Make a Cinematic Look Film Video with FCPX?
• Part 3: What Other Factors Contribute to Film-Look Videos?
• Part 4: How to Add Cinematic Look to Your Footage in easy ways?

Part 1: Difference between a Cinematic Look and a Normal Video?

The term cinematic is often referred to the black bars or wide-screen frame ratios. Photographers and filmmakers use the term cinematic to describe the look of movies and pictures shot on film.

However, the term has changed its meaning with the advent of digital video and the invention of high-tech devices. With the evolution of the internet across the globe, YouTubers, videographers, and social media influencers have started using this term to describe anything related to cinema and film. In other words, a cinematic look is an unconventional, film-look, and professional appearance of a video that makes a normal clip look elegant and worth watching. See the top 10 movies made by FCPX here.

So, here we draw a line between a normal video and the one with a cinematic look. In the latter, you adjust everything that is directly or indirectly linked to the quality of a video, including but not limited to colors, appearance, light, motion, frame rate, composition, and camera movements.

Resolution refers to the horizontal pixel count such as 2K (2.2 megapixels) or 4K (8.8 megapixels). Similarly, the frame rate defines the number of individual images or frames being displayed on the TV screen per second. The universally accepted film frame rate is 24 FPS, which is used to make high-definition videos. However, most TV broadcasts and shows are recorded at 30fps. See more about FPS here .

Thanks to the advanced video editing tools and applications that have made it easier to capture a cinematic look or make HD cinematic look videos with basic camera setups. If you want to get your desired cinematic look, read the following section.

Part 2: How to Make a Cinematic Look Film Video with FCPX?

The latest features and user-friendly dashboard of Final Cut Pro X allow users (even beginners) to add effects and increase the aesthetics of their videos. Follow these four simple steps to make a cinematic look high-resolution video with Final Cut Pro X.

Step 1: 4K Resolution and Low Frame Rate

To achieve ideal cinematic aesthetics, you need high-quality 4K resolution videos, awesome exposure, the right codec, and lighting. Hence, to start with, capture a high-quality 4K Canon RAW shot with the latest high-tech Canon Log 2 camera. You can also use other devices and choose different codecs and color profiles to get the best color grade.

Step 2: Color Grading and Color Correction

After importing your footage, get ready for color corrections to address issues like conversions for LOG formats through white balance adjustments. Color corrections normalize the color of HD videos into a standard format. Here’s how you can do this:

1. Go to the Inspector Panel and select the Extended Function
2. Select the C-Log 2 conversion LUT

1. Make minor exposure and white balance adjustments as per your scope
2. Select the Color Wheels and Color Mask features to custom select specific areas and colors
3. Adjust your color grade according to your requirements
4. Use Color Masking to improve the shadow’s appearance and warm-up mid-tones
5. You will get a strong color contrast in your footage.

Step 3: Use Slow Motion at the Right Timing

Final Cut Pro X allows its users to make both constant and variable speed changes without disturbing the audio’s pitch. By using slow-motion effects at the right timing, you can make your videos adorable and give them a cinematic look.

• Select your video and click on the Retiming button
• Tap on the Slow section

• You will see multiple options to slow down the speed of your clip
• The smaller number will slow down your footage
• To apply custom retiming amounts, again click on the Retiming button and select the Custom option
• Custom the speed of your clip over 100% or less than 100% as you want
• After selecting a value, your selected clip will become longer on the timeline.

Step 4: Adopt Film Grain to Make Film-look Videos

Film grain overlays give your videos vintage and cinematic look. Follow these steps to use these film grains in Final Cut Pro X:

1. Import your footage and film grains downloaded from the internet and layer them into your timeline
2. Place the film grain on top of your clip
3. Select the clip and go to the FCPX blend mode dropdown menu located on the top-right of your screen
4. Click on the Overlay and adjust the opacity of the film grain overlay as required.

Part 3: What Other Factors Contribute to Film-Look Videos

While making cinematic-look videos, also considering the following factors:

Framing

While filming, one must be aware of the emotion to be captured in the frame. For this purpose, follow the “Rule of Thirds,” which means to divide your short into three horizontal and vertical sections and select the third shot to produce some effect.

Tilt Shift

Instead of shooting your clips with a UHD camera, you can add cinematic effect with the Tilt-shift feature by setting the focus of your video. For this purpose, right-click on the video, select Power Tool and check the box with the option Apply Tilt-shift to the clip. Use the slider to adjust the focus.

Background Music

Cinematic clips without background music seem to be unexciting and boring. Adding melodious background music makes your videos look more professional and enjoyable. You can add default music or your favorite music downloaded from the internet by clicking on the Music tab.

Titles and Subtitles

Adding subtitles to your videos can make them understandable for viewers who speak a different language. Click on Text/Credit in Filmora and select Subtitles to add subtitles to your video.

Part 4: How to Add Cinematic Look to Your Footage in Easy Ways

Filmora is an advanced video editing tool developed by Wondershare. Its user-friendly and easy-to-understand interface makes it popular among beginners as well as professionals. And the best thing about Filmora is that the editor provides rich options of presets, effects, and filters to add a film look to your video.

Here’s how you can add a cinematic look to your footage with Filmora.

1, choose Effect

2, search for “cinematic” or “film”

3, drag the effect you like to the timeline

4, done!

Simple steps, right? For more stunning effects and film-look packages, try filmstock !

Conclusion

Get rid of unexciting and dull videos with no animations or effects. It’s time to add a cinematic look to your videos to make them look more professional and elegant.

A variety of tools and applications are available to make cinematic look videos such as Final Cut Pro X and Filmora. Both these software offers advanced video editing features and allow you to make high-resolution cinematic-look videos. You can adjust various aspects of your video such as colors, aesthetics, resolution, motion, frame rate, composition, and camera movements with these two applications.

Caroline Laurent

Caroline Laurent is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Caroline Laurent

Best Free 4K Video Editors You Should Try

The Ultra HD video, also known as 4K video , defines 3840 2160 pixels. It became popular in 2016 and has overtaken both HD and ultra-HD to become the video with the highest resolution. Most videos are shot in HD, but as camera technology improves, 4K video seems to have become increasingly common. Because of the additional level of detail that the camera acquires, 4K videos are large files that allow you more editing possibilities.

Several free 4K video editing software has been developed to make video editing relatively easy in recent times. These free 4K video editors allow you to import, edit, and export videos easily. This article will provide you with some of the best free 4K video editors you should try in 2022.

In this article

01 Best Free 4K Video Editing Software for Windows and Mac

02 Things You Need to Pay Attention to Run Free 4K Video Editors

03 Tips for Editing 4K Videos Smoothly

Part 1: Top 5 Best Free 4K Video Editing Software for Windows and Mac

1. iMovie

Supported OS: iPhone, iPad, and Mac

iMovie is one of the most popular free 4K Video editing software. Using iMovie, you can create a professional-looking video even without any editing experience. You can import 4K images and 4K videos to iMovie, and then trim, split and add titles, transitions, filters or effects to the video by dragging and dropping. What’s more, you can import and export 60 frames per second video in iMovie.

iMovie is a video editing software that imports video footage from digital video cameras that use the MiniDV format. It can play DV, HDV, AVCHD, iFrame, Animation Codec, and other video formats. You can import 4K videos directly to iMovie and export them as 4K videos at 24fps/30fps/60fps. You can also share the 4K video to YouTube from iMovie directly.

Pros:

1. Switching across different devices:

This free 4K video editor is designed to work together using different devices (iPhone, iPad & Mac). You can begin a project on your iPhone, then transfer it to your iPad using AirDrop or iCloud Drive. It allows you to share what you have worked on to different devices, and you can also send projects from your iPad to your MacBook or iMac.

2. Advanced editing features:

What makes this free 4K video editor special is the ability to add some innovative editing functions when creating and editing your videos. Understandably, any video editor should offer basic editing features; however, iMovie allows you to work with more advanced functions like split-screen , picture-in-picture , and green-screen effects .

3. Saving all the original files

An advantage of working with different devices provides an opportunity to save all original files. It saves you time since you can import any media you need to get your project started in the video editor without losing the original files.

Cons:

• Distorted files: If you don’t follow the importing and exporting process, the files might get distorted, resulting in fuzzy images.
• Only available on iOS/macOS/iPad devices

2. VSDC

Supported OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8/10

VSDC is a free 4K video editor that allows for beginner-level editing. It supports recording voice-over, capturing the desktop screen, editing the video and audio files. With VSDC, you can blend multiple footage layers into a single composition. You can easily apply a picture-in-picture effect and make things change their appearance or position.

VSDC allows you to import 4K video, audio, and image files. To successfully import these files; Click ‘Shift + I’ to add an image, ‘Shift A’ to add an audio file, and ‘Shift V’ to add a video file. VSDC allows you to export 4K videos to PC or share to web platforms like YouTube. To export these files, go to the export project tab at the top, and then set the profile to the highest quality. Click the Edit profile button and then select the 4K preset from the list. Choose the video and audio quality size, and then save the video as 4K.

Pros:

• Every tool for video editing is available
• Amazing Visual Effects
• Efficient Text Processing
• Lots of Blending modes

Cons:

• Pro editing features are missing
• Available for Windows only
• Audio waveform and hardware acceleration features are not available

3. ShotCut

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Shotcut is another free 4K video editor made for Linux, Macintosh, and Windows gadgets. It has wide arranged support that features its astounding usefulness. This 4K video editing software may not be the most alluring programming you see, yet it can assist with making the process of editing smooth and straightforward.

This professional video editing software support almost all the latest audio and video formats, including ProRes, DNxHD, and 4K, and it allows you to trim, cut, insert, and overwrite the video and audio. With its video effects, you can do color correction and grading, add fade-in and fade-out effects, reverse the clip, and even edit the 360° videos.

Here is a completed video tutorial from YouTuber Kevin Stratvert, which provides almost all information about how to use Shotcut, including how to create a project, add media, edit clips and export.

Pros:

• Easy Access: The 4K video editor is open source. Users can easily alter the source codes, enabling the process of editing simple and clear.
• Shotcut has every one of the required instruments to give excellent outcomes to clients. It has all elements of good video editing software and a bunch of other supportive and current choices.
• Shotcut offers an easy-to-use interface that allows you to finish a project quickly while having it examined by multiple members of your team. Its preview panel gives users access to a quick start menu, and its view menu lets them decide which features appear on the screen. The software’s video and audio filters are the most amazing of all its features. These filters can be customized, and they can be combined and layered in a variety of ways. Adjusting is now easier thanks to the easy checkbox and slider systems. Shotcut is so good that it makes even the most complicated effects understandable to the average user.

Cons:

• The platform might be a bit confusing when using the software for the first time because the interface isn’t intuitive.

4. LightWorks

Supported OS: Windows, Linux, and macOS

Lightworks is another video editor that can edit 4K videos from EditShare for people who have video editing experience. It has a simple and intuitive user interface, and you will find LOG, EDIT, VFX, and AUDIO tabs at the top of the interface. It integrates some paid royalty-free audio files, so you don’t need to find the background music from somewhere else. This software has some advanced editing features such as Multicam editing and batch export. It even supports third-party plugins, such as Boris FX, Boris Graffiti, and GenArts Sapphire. It enables its users to freely edit videos, even to the extent of trimming a video down to the size you desire.

However, if you want to export the videos in 4K, you need to pay, since it is limited to Lightworks Pro users.

Pros:

• The software allows clips to be easily imported and provides a platform where these clips can be played. This is made possible because this 4K video editor provides an interface made of panels such as bins, timeline, and edit review.
• Lightworks provides an easy way of applying varieties of effects from different clips in a coordinated manner. The software utilizes the hub-based framework to put together clips and recordings, which is needed for clips with numerous effects and tracks.
• Navigating this software, a right-click menu allows the user to export videos directly to YouTube. Also, the software automatically saves your work, so you don’t lose the files you’ve worked on.

Cons:

• Poor quality exporting options when making use of the free version (720p only)
• You need to register first to use it

5. Filmora Instant Cutter Tool

Supporting OS: Windows and Mac

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Filmora is one of the best video editors for beginners to create professional-looking videos in a modern way. One of the biggest advantages of using Filmora is its resources. You can now search the resources in the search bar and drag and drop them to the timeline to preview the result without paying first.

Some of you may say, Filmora is not a free video editor since there will be a watermark at the export video. But here, I will introduce the Instant Cutter Tool which is a perfect tool to trim and merge large 4K videos and action camera videos. This free 4k tool provides a proper way of instantly trimming or merging videos without de-coding, which means the video resolution will not be changed. Using the instant cutter tool, you can upload or merge files of huge sizes in different formats, such as MP4/MOV or MTS/M2TS.

Note: You can try some legal ways to remove the Filmora watermark without paying .

Pros:

• Clean and Intuitive User Interface
• 4K Video Support
• Trim and merge large videos quickly

Cons:

• Limited video formats supported when using Instant Cutter Tool

Part 2: Things You Need to Pay Attention to Run Free 4K Video Editors

While the general features of the best free 4K video editors have been discussed, it’s important you are aware of some specific requirements your system must possess to edit your videos successfully. Irrespective of the kind of device you’re using to edit your videos, you need to pay attention to some features your device must have. However, these requirements depend on the 4K video editing software free.

• Central Processing Unit (CPU): The Processor of the software being used must be Intel Core i7, 2.3Ghz four-core; this is applicable if you will be editing your videos offline. Then, Dual Intel Xeon 2Ghz six-core is applicable if you will be editing your videos online.
• Random Access Memory (RAM): Preferably an 8GB Memory if you’re editing offline, and 32GB Memory if you’re editing online.
• Internal storage: The required storage must be sufficient because 4K videos are huge files.

Note: Offline editing refers to editing a proxy file of the original source material ; online editing is the editing of the original material.

Part 3: Tips for Editing 4K Videos Smoothly

• Choose the software based on your hardware: To choose the best 4K video editing software free, you must not opt for an editing software with higher requirements than your hardware; such software won’t work well on your device. You should instead select an editing software with lower requirements.
• Split large 4K videos into several parts: It has been reiterated that 4K videos are huge files; to edit your videos smoothly, it is recommended to split up the videos and edit one after the other. This will save you from heavy data loss.
• Enable graphics accelerator: A graphic accelerator is used in video editing to turbocharge your video exporting. It’s usually clung to a video board of your system. It makes the editing easier and faster by preventing a heavy workload.

02 Things You Need to Pay Attention to Run Free 4K Video Editors

03 Tips for Editing 4K Videos Smoothly

Part 1: Top 5 Best Free 4K Video Editing Software for Windows and Mac

1. iMovie

Supported OS: iPhone, iPad, and Mac

iMovie is one of the most popular free 4K Video editing software. Using iMovie, you can create a professional-looking video even without any editing experience. You can import 4K images and 4K videos to iMovie, and then trim, split and add titles, transitions, filters or effects to the video by dragging and dropping. What’s more, you can import and export 60 frames per second video in iMovie.

iMovie is a video editing software that imports video footage from digital video cameras that use the MiniDV format. It can play DV, HDV, AVCHD, iFrame, Animation Codec, and other video formats. You can import 4K videos directly to iMovie and export them as 4K videos at 24fps/30fps/60fps. You can also share the 4K video to YouTube from iMovie directly.

Pros:

1. Switching across different devices:

This free 4K video editor is designed to work together using different devices (iPhone, iPad & Mac). You can begin a project on your iPhone, then transfer it to your iPad using AirDrop or iCloud Drive. It allows you to share what you have worked on to different devices, and you can also send projects from your iPad to your MacBook or iMac.

2. Advanced editing features:

What makes this free 4K video editor special is the ability to add some innovative editing functions when creating and editing your videos. Understandably, any video editor should offer basic editing features; however, iMovie allows you to work with more advanced functions like split-screen , picture-in-picture , and green-screen effects .

3. Saving all the original files

An advantage of working with different devices provides an opportunity to save all original files. It saves you time since you can import any media you need to get your project started in the video editor without losing the original files.

Cons:

• Distorted files: If you don’t follow the importing and exporting process, the files might get distorted, resulting in fuzzy images.
• Only available on iOS/macOS/iPad devices

2. VSDC

Supported OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8/10

VSDC is a free 4K video editor that allows for beginner-level editing. It supports recording voice-over, capturing the desktop screen, editing the video and audio files. With VSDC, you can blend multiple footage layers into a single composition. You can easily apply a picture-in-picture effect and make things change their appearance or position.

VSDC allows you to import 4K video, audio, and image files. To successfully import these files; Click ‘Shift + I’ to add an image, ‘Shift A’ to add an audio file, and ‘Shift V’ to add a video file. VSDC allows you to export 4K videos to PC or share to web platforms like YouTube. To export these files, go to the export project tab at the top, and then set the profile to the highest quality. Click the Edit profile button and then select the 4K preset from the list. Choose the video and audio quality size, and then save the video as 4K.

Pros:

• Every tool for video editing is available
• Amazing Visual Effects
• Efficient Text Processing
• Lots of Blending modes

Cons:

• Pro editing features are missing
• Available for Windows only
• Audio waveform and hardware acceleration features are not available

3. ShotCut

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Shotcut is another free 4K video editor made for Linux, Macintosh, and Windows gadgets. It has wide arranged support that features its astounding usefulness. This 4K video editing software may not be the most alluring programming you see, yet it can assist with making the process of editing smooth and straightforward.

This professional video editing software support almost all the latest audio and video formats, including ProRes, DNxHD, and 4K, and it allows you to trim, cut, insert, and overwrite the video and audio. With its video effects, you can do color correction and grading, add fade-in and fade-out effects, reverse the clip, and even edit the 360° videos.

Here is a completed video tutorial from YouTuber Kevin Stratvert, which provides almost all information about how to use Shotcut, including how to create a project, add media, edit clips and export.

Pros:

• Easy Access: The 4K video editor is open source. Users can easily alter the source codes, enabling the process of editing simple and clear.
• Shotcut has every one of the required instruments to give excellent outcomes to clients. It has all elements of good video editing software and a bunch of other supportive and current choices.
• Shotcut offers an easy-to-use interface that allows you to finish a project quickly while having it examined by multiple members of your team. Its preview panel gives users access to a quick start menu, and its view menu lets them decide which features appear on the screen. The software’s video and audio filters are the most amazing of all its features. These filters can be customized, and they can be combined and layered in a variety of ways. Adjusting is now easier thanks to the easy checkbox and slider systems. Shotcut is so good that it makes even the most complicated effects understandable to the average user.

Cons:

• The platform might be a bit confusing when using the software for the first time because the interface isn’t intuitive.

4. LightWorks

Supported OS: Windows, Linux, and macOS

Lightworks is another video editor that can edit 4K videos from EditShare for people who have video editing experience. It has a simple and intuitive user interface, and you will find LOG, EDIT, VFX, and AUDIO tabs at the top of the interface. It integrates some paid royalty-free audio files, so you don’t need to find the background music from somewhere else. This software has some advanced editing features such as Multicam editing and batch export. It even supports third-party plugins, such as Boris FX, Boris Graffiti, and GenArts Sapphire. It enables its users to freely edit videos, even to the extent of trimming a video down to the size you desire.

However, if you want to export the videos in 4K, you need to pay, since it is limited to Lightworks Pro users.

Pros:

• The software allows clips to be easily imported and provides a platform where these clips can be played. This is made possible because this 4K video editor provides an interface made of panels such as bins, timeline, and edit review.
• Lightworks provides an easy way of applying varieties of effects from different clips in a coordinated manner. The software utilizes the hub-based framework to put together clips and recordings, which is needed for clips with numerous effects and tracks.
• Navigating this software, a right-click menu allows the user to export videos directly to YouTube. Also, the software automatically saves your work, so you don’t lose the files you’ve worked on.

Cons:

• Poor quality exporting options when making use of the free version (720p only)
• You need to register first to use it

5. Filmora Instant Cutter Tool

Supporting OS: Windows and Mac

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Filmora is one of the best video editors for beginners to create professional-looking videos in a modern way. One of the biggest advantages of using Filmora is its resources. You can now search the resources in the search bar and drag and drop them to the timeline to preview the result without paying first.

Some of you may say, Filmora is not a free video editor since there will be a watermark at the export video. But here, I will introduce the Instant Cutter Tool which is a perfect tool to trim and merge large 4K videos and action camera videos. This free 4k tool provides a proper way of instantly trimming or merging videos without de-coding, which means the video resolution will not be changed. Using the instant cutter tool, you can upload or merge files of huge sizes in different formats, such as MP4/MOV or MTS/M2TS.

Note: You can try some legal ways to remove the Filmora watermark without paying .

Pros:

• Clean and Intuitive User Interface
• 4K Video Support
• Trim and merge large videos quickly

Cons:

• Limited video formats supported when using Instant Cutter Tool

Part 2: Things You Need to Pay Attention to Run Free 4K Video Editors

While the general features of the best free 4K video editors have been discussed, it’s important you are aware of some specific requirements your system must possess to edit your videos successfully. Irrespective of the kind of device you’re using to edit your videos, you need to pay attention to some features your device must have. However, these requirements depend on the 4K video editing software free.

• Central Processing Unit (CPU): The Processor of the software being used must be Intel Core i7, 2.3Ghz four-core; this is applicable if you will be editing your videos offline. Then, Dual Intel Xeon 2Ghz six-core is applicable if you will be editing your videos online.
• Random Access Memory (RAM): Preferably an 8GB Memory if you’re editing offline, and 32GB Memory if you’re editing online.
• Internal storage: The required storage must be sufficient because 4K videos are huge files.

Note: Offline editing refers to editing a proxy file of the original source material ; online editing is the editing of the original material.

Part 3: Tips for Editing 4K Videos Smoothly

• Choose the software based on your hardware: To choose the best 4K video editing software free, you must not opt for an editing software with higher requirements than your hardware; such software won’t work well on your device. You should instead select an editing software with lower requirements.
• Split large 4K videos into several parts: It has been reiterated that 4K videos are huge files; to edit your videos smoothly, it is recommended to split up the videos and edit one after the other. This will save you from heavy data loss.
• Enable graphics accelerator: A graphic accelerator is used in video editing to turbocharge your video exporting. It’s usually clung to a video board of your system. It makes the editing easier and faster by preventing a heavy workload.

02 Things You Need to Pay Attention to Run Free 4K Video Editors

03 Tips for Editing 4K Videos Smoothly

Part 1: Top 5 Best Free 4K Video Editing Software for Windows and Mac

1. iMovie

Supported OS: iPhone, iPad, and Mac

iMovie is one of the most popular free 4K Video editing software. Using iMovie, you can create a professional-looking video even without any editing experience. You can import 4K images and 4K videos to iMovie, and then trim, split and add titles, transitions, filters or effects to the video by dragging and dropping. What’s more, you can import and export 60 frames per second video in iMovie.

iMovie is a video editing software that imports video footage from digital video cameras that use the MiniDV format. It can play DV, HDV, AVCHD, iFrame, Animation Codec, and other video formats. You can import 4K videos directly to iMovie and export them as 4K videos at 24fps/30fps/60fps. You can also share the 4K video to YouTube from iMovie directly.

Pros:

1. Switching across different devices:

This free 4K video editor is designed to work together using different devices (iPhone, iPad & Mac). You can begin a project on your iPhone, then transfer it to your iPad using AirDrop or iCloud Drive. It allows you to share what you have worked on to different devices, and you can also send projects from your iPad to your MacBook or iMac.

2. Advanced editing features:

What makes this free 4K video editor special is the ability to add some innovative editing functions when creating and editing your videos. Understandably, any video editor should offer basic editing features; however, iMovie allows you to work with more advanced functions like split-screen , picture-in-picture , and green-screen effects .

3. Saving all the original files

An advantage of working with different devices provides an opportunity to save all original files. It saves you time since you can import any media you need to get your project started in the video editor without losing the original files.

Cons:

• Distorted files: If you don’t follow the importing and exporting process, the files might get distorted, resulting in fuzzy images.
• Only available on iOS/macOS/iPad devices

2. VSDC

Supported OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8/10

VSDC is a free 4K video editor that allows for beginner-level editing. It supports recording voice-over, capturing the desktop screen, editing the video and audio files. With VSDC, you can blend multiple footage layers into a single composition. You can easily apply a picture-in-picture effect and make things change their appearance or position.

VSDC allows you to import 4K video, audio, and image files. To successfully import these files; Click ‘Shift + I’ to add an image, ‘Shift A’ to add an audio file, and ‘Shift V’ to add a video file. VSDC allows you to export 4K videos to PC or share to web platforms like YouTube. To export these files, go to the export project tab at the top, and then set the profile to the highest quality. Click the Edit profile button and then select the 4K preset from the list. Choose the video and audio quality size, and then save the video as 4K.

Pros:

• Every tool for video editing is available
• Amazing Visual Effects
• Efficient Text Processing
• Lots of Blending modes

Cons:

• Pro editing features are missing
• Available for Windows only
• Audio waveform and hardware acceleration features are not available

3. ShotCut

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Shotcut is another free 4K video editor made for Linux, Macintosh, and Windows gadgets. It has wide arranged support that features its astounding usefulness. This 4K video editing software may not be the most alluring programming you see, yet it can assist with making the process of editing smooth and straightforward.

This professional video editing software support almost all the latest audio and video formats, including ProRes, DNxHD, and 4K, and it allows you to trim, cut, insert, and overwrite the video and audio. With its video effects, you can do color correction and grading, add fade-in and fade-out effects, reverse the clip, and even edit the 360° videos.

Here is a completed video tutorial from YouTuber Kevin Stratvert, which provides almost all information about how to use Shotcut, including how to create a project, add media, edit clips and export.

Pros:

• Easy Access: The 4K video editor is open source. Users can easily alter the source codes, enabling the process of editing simple and clear.
• Shotcut has every one of the required instruments to give excellent outcomes to clients. It has all elements of good video editing software and a bunch of other supportive and current choices.
• Shotcut offers an easy-to-use interface that allows you to finish a project quickly while having it examined by multiple members of your team. Its preview panel gives users access to a quick start menu, and its view menu lets them decide which features appear on the screen. The software’s video and audio filters are the most amazing of all its features. These filters can be customized, and they can be combined and layered in a variety of ways. Adjusting is now easier thanks to the easy checkbox and slider systems. Shotcut is so good that it makes even the most complicated effects understandable to the average user.

Cons:

• The platform might be a bit confusing when using the software for the first time because the interface isn’t intuitive.

4. LightWorks

Supported OS: Windows, Linux, and macOS

Lightworks is another video editor that can edit 4K videos from EditShare for people who have video editing experience. It has a simple and intuitive user interface, and you will find LOG, EDIT, VFX, and AUDIO tabs at the top of the interface. It integrates some paid royalty-free audio files, so you don’t need to find the background music from somewhere else. This software has some advanced editing features such as Multicam editing and batch export. It even supports third-party plugins, such as Boris FX, Boris Graffiti, and GenArts Sapphire. It enables its users to freely edit videos, even to the extent of trimming a video down to the size you desire.

However, if you want to export the videos in 4K, you need to pay, since it is limited to Lightworks Pro users.

Pros:

• The software allows clips to be easily imported and provides a platform where these clips can be played. This is made possible because this 4K video editor provides an interface made of panels such as bins, timeline, and edit review.
• Lightworks provides an easy way of applying varieties of effects from different clips in a coordinated manner. The software utilizes the hub-based framework to put together clips and recordings, which is needed for clips with numerous effects and tracks.
• Navigating this software, a right-click menu allows the user to export videos directly to YouTube. Also, the software automatically saves your work, so you don’t lose the files you’ve worked on.

Cons:

• Poor quality exporting options when making use of the free version (720p only)
• You need to register first to use it

5. Filmora Instant Cutter Tool

Supporting OS: Windows and Mac

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Filmora is one of the best video editors for beginners to create professional-looking videos in a modern way. One of the biggest advantages of using Filmora is its resources. You can now search the resources in the search bar and drag and drop them to the timeline to preview the result without paying first.

Some of you may say, Filmora is not a free video editor since there will be a watermark at the export video. But here, I will introduce the Instant Cutter Tool which is a perfect tool to trim and merge large 4K videos and action camera videos. This free 4k tool provides a proper way of instantly trimming or merging videos without de-coding, which means the video resolution will not be changed. Using the instant cutter tool, you can upload or merge files of huge sizes in different formats, such as MP4/MOV or MTS/M2TS.

Note: You can try some legal ways to remove the Filmora watermark without paying .

Pros:

• Clean and Intuitive User Interface
• 4K Video Support
• Trim and merge large videos quickly

Cons:

• Limited video formats supported when using Instant Cutter Tool

Part 2: Things You Need to Pay Attention to Run Free 4K Video Editors

While the general features of the best free 4K video editors have been discussed, it’s important you are aware of some specific requirements your system must possess to edit your videos successfully. Irrespective of the kind of device you’re using to edit your videos, you need to pay attention to some features your device must have. However, these requirements depend on the 4K video editing software free.

• Central Processing Unit (CPU): The Processor of the software being used must be Intel Core i7, 2.3Ghz four-core; this is applicable if you will be editing your videos offline. Then, Dual Intel Xeon 2Ghz six-core is applicable if you will be editing your videos online.
• Random Access Memory (RAM): Preferably an 8GB Memory if you’re editing offline, and 32GB Memory if you’re editing online.
• Internal storage: The required storage must be sufficient because 4K videos are huge files.

Note: Offline editing refers to editing a proxy file of the original source material ; online editing is the editing of the original material.

Part 3: Tips for Editing 4K Videos Smoothly

• Choose the software based on your hardware: To choose the best 4K video editing software free, you must not opt for an editing software with higher requirements than your hardware; such software won’t work well on your device. You should instead select an editing software with lower requirements.
• Split large 4K videos into several parts: It has been reiterated that 4K videos are huge files; to edit your videos smoothly, it is recommended to split up the videos and edit one after the other. This will save you from heavy data loss.
• Enable graphics accelerator: A graphic accelerator is used in video editing to turbocharge your video exporting. It’s usually clung to a video board of your system. It makes the editing easier and faster by preventing a heavy workload.

02 Things You Need to Pay Attention to Run Free 4K Video Editors

03 Tips for Editing 4K Videos Smoothly

Part 1: Top 5 Best Free 4K Video Editing Software for Windows and Mac

1. iMovie

Supported OS: iPhone, iPad, and Mac

iMovie is one of the most popular free 4K Video editing software. Using iMovie, you can create a professional-looking video even without any editing experience. You can import 4K images and 4K videos to iMovie, and then trim, split and add titles, transitions, filters or effects to the video by dragging and dropping. What’s more, you can import and export 60 frames per second video in iMovie.

iMovie is a video editing software that imports video footage from digital video cameras that use the MiniDV format. It can play DV, HDV, AVCHD, iFrame, Animation Codec, and other video formats. You can import 4K videos directly to iMovie and export them as 4K videos at 24fps/30fps/60fps. You can also share the 4K video to YouTube from iMovie directly.

Pros:

1. Switching across different devices:

This free 4K video editor is designed to work together using different devices (iPhone, iPad & Mac). You can begin a project on your iPhone, then transfer it to your iPad using AirDrop or iCloud Drive. It allows you to share what you have worked on to different devices, and you can also send projects from your iPad to your MacBook or iMac.

2. Advanced editing features:

What makes this free 4K video editor special is the ability to add some innovative editing functions when creating and editing your videos. Understandably, any video editor should offer basic editing features; however, iMovie allows you to work with more advanced functions like split-screen , picture-in-picture , and green-screen effects .

3. Saving all the original files

An advantage of working with different devices provides an opportunity to save all original files. It saves you time since you can import any media you need to get your project started in the video editor without losing the original files.

Cons:

• Distorted files: If you don’t follow the importing and exporting process, the files might get distorted, resulting in fuzzy images.
• Only available on iOS/macOS/iPad devices

2. VSDC

Supported OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8/10

VSDC is a free 4K video editor that allows for beginner-level editing. It supports recording voice-over, capturing the desktop screen, editing the video and audio files. With VSDC, you can blend multiple footage layers into a single composition. You can easily apply a picture-in-picture effect and make things change their appearance or position.

VSDC allows you to import 4K video, audio, and image files. To successfully import these files; Click ‘Shift + I’ to add an image, ‘Shift A’ to add an audio file, and ‘Shift V’ to add a video file. VSDC allows you to export 4K videos to PC or share to web platforms like YouTube. To export these files, go to the export project tab at the top, and then set the profile to the highest quality. Click the Edit profile button and then select the 4K preset from the list. Choose the video and audio quality size, and then save the video as 4K.

Pros:

• Every tool for video editing is available
• Amazing Visual Effects
• Efficient Text Processing
• Lots of Blending modes

Cons:

• Pro editing features are missing
• Available for Windows only
• Audio waveform and hardware acceleration features are not available

3. ShotCut

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Shotcut is another free 4K video editor made for Linux, Macintosh, and Windows gadgets. It has wide arranged support that features its astounding usefulness. This 4K video editing software may not be the most alluring programming you see, yet it can assist with making the process of editing smooth and straightforward.

This professional video editing software support almost all the latest audio and video formats, including ProRes, DNxHD, and 4K, and it allows you to trim, cut, insert, and overwrite the video and audio. With its video effects, you can do color correction and grading, add fade-in and fade-out effects, reverse the clip, and even edit the 360° videos.

Here is a completed video tutorial from YouTuber Kevin Stratvert, which provides almost all information about how to use Shotcut, including how to create a project, add media, edit clips and export.

Pros:

• Easy Access: The 4K video editor is open source. Users can easily alter the source codes, enabling the process of editing simple and clear.
• Shotcut has every one of the required instruments to give excellent outcomes to clients. It has all elements of good video editing software and a bunch of other supportive and current choices.
• Shotcut offers an easy-to-use interface that allows you to finish a project quickly while having it examined by multiple members of your team. Its preview panel gives users access to a quick start menu, and its view menu lets them decide which features appear on the screen. The software’s video and audio filters are the most amazing of all its features. These filters can be customized, and they can be combined and layered in a variety of ways. Adjusting is now easier thanks to the easy checkbox and slider systems. Shotcut is so good that it makes even the most complicated effects understandable to the average user.

Cons:

• The platform might be a bit confusing when using the software for the first time because the interface isn’t intuitive.

4. LightWorks

Supported OS: Windows, Linux, and macOS

Lightworks is another video editor that can edit 4K videos from EditShare for people who have video editing experience. It has a simple and intuitive user interface, and you will find LOG, EDIT, VFX, and AUDIO tabs at the top of the interface. It integrates some paid royalty-free audio files, so you don’t need to find the background music from somewhere else. This software has some advanced editing features such as Multicam editing and batch export. It even supports third-party plugins, such as Boris FX, Boris Graffiti, and GenArts Sapphire. It enables its users to freely edit videos, even to the extent of trimming a video down to the size you desire.

However, if you want to export the videos in 4K, you need to pay, since it is limited to Lightworks Pro users.

Pros:

• The software allows clips to be easily imported and provides a platform where these clips can be played. This is made possible because this 4K video editor provides an interface made of panels such as bins, timeline, and edit review.
• Lightworks provides an easy way of applying varieties of effects from different clips in a coordinated manner. The software utilizes the hub-based framework to put together clips and recordings, which is needed for clips with numerous effects and tracks.
• Navigating this software, a right-click menu allows the user to export videos directly to YouTube. Also, the software automatically saves your work, so you don’t lose the files you’ve worked on.

Cons:

• Poor quality exporting options when making use of the free version (720p only)
• You need to register first to use it

5. Filmora Instant Cutter Tool

Supporting OS: Windows and Mac

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Filmora is one of the best video editors for beginners to create professional-looking videos in a modern way. One of the biggest advantages of using Filmora is its resources. You can now search the resources in the search bar and drag and drop them to the timeline to preview the result without paying first.

Some of you may say, Filmora is not a free video editor since there will be a watermark at the export video. But here, I will introduce the Instant Cutter Tool which is a perfect tool to trim and merge large 4K videos and action camera videos. This free 4k tool provides a proper way of instantly trimming or merging videos without de-coding, which means the video resolution will not be changed. Using the instant cutter tool, you can upload or merge files of huge sizes in different formats, such as MP4/MOV or MTS/M2TS.

Note: You can try some legal ways to remove the Filmora watermark without paying .

Pros:

• Clean and Intuitive User Interface
• 4K Video Support
• Trim and merge large videos quickly

Cons:

• Limited video formats supported when using Instant Cutter Tool

Part 2: Things You Need to Pay Attention to Run Free 4K Video Editors

While the general features of the best free 4K video editors have been discussed, it’s important you are aware of some specific requirements your system must possess to edit your videos successfully. Irrespective of the kind of device you’re using to edit your videos, you need to pay attention to some features your device must have. However, these requirements depend on the 4K video editing software free.

• Central Processing Unit (CPU): The Processor of the software being used must be Intel Core i7, 2.3Ghz four-core; this is applicable if you will be editing your videos offline. Then, Dual Intel Xeon 2Ghz six-core is applicable if you will be editing your videos online.
• Random Access Memory (RAM): Preferably an 8GB Memory if you’re editing offline, and 32GB Memory if you’re editing online.
• Internal storage: The required storage must be sufficient because 4K videos are huge files.

Note: Offline editing refers to editing a proxy file of the original source material ; online editing is the editing of the original material.

Part 3: Tips for Editing 4K Videos Smoothly

• Choose the software based on your hardware: To choose the best 4K video editing software free, you must not opt for an editing software with higher requirements than your hardware; such software won’t work well on your device. You should instead select an editing software with lower requirements.
• Split large 4K videos into several parts: It has been reiterated that 4K videos are huge files; to edit your videos smoothly, it is recommended to split up the videos and edit one after the other. This will save you from heavy data loss.
• Enable graphics accelerator: A graphic accelerator is used in video editing to turbocharge your video exporting. It’s usually clung to a video board of your system. It makes the editing easier and faster by preventing a heavy workload.

MTS Video Editing Software: 5 Top-Rated Options

Top 5 MTS Video Editing Software Recommended

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

We often tend to record our precious moments in video and tend to share them with others. There are many among us who like to give their videos an extra spark by editing them. For that, they use a number of video editing software that they get their hands on. To make your choice easier from thousands of software I am listing the top five in the business. My list includes Apple iMovie, Avidemux, Blender, HyperEngine AV Video Editing Software and last but not the least, Wondershare Filmora. Let us go over the specifications and shed light on the comparisons.

Top 5 MTS Video Editing Software Recommended

1. Wondershare Filmora

This is perhaps the most compact video editor that one can ask for in current time. The editor is very simple to use and suits every operating system be it windows or mac. Wondershare video Editor has two modes of use. One is Easy Editor Mode and the other is the Full Featured Mode. Users can choose the editing mode based on their experience and editing needs. Due to the features that it has, it can easily be placed at the top when considering video editing software genre. The most talked about features of this software are:

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

• The Software not only edits video and audio, it can even edit photos for videos.
• Picture-In-Picture videos, Title editing, transition effects, transitional videos can be created with this software.
• Audio can be edited separately and then can be merged with the video.
• The software can be a great converter as well.
• Supports a wide range of file types.
• One can post the videos in YouTube and Facebook after editing them.
• The software can download, convert and edit videos from different websites.

2. Apple iMovie

It is free video editing software that comes with the Mac OS every time a new one is released. The latest Apple iMovie version is 11. Although it is free, you will only avail the free version when a new Mac OS releases. For updating without moving to a new OS version of Mac, you have to buy it. It is good software to have for free for its features. Some of the key features are:

• It helps to create One Step Effect.
• Support for 2D and 3D videos
• Supports Audio Encoding.
• You can Create Movie Trailers using the software
• Supports MP4, M4V and MOV files.
• Share your videos online with ease.

3. AvideMux

You can do multipurpose video editing with this software. The best thing is that it is free. It is compatible to all the known operating systems for smooth using. Cutting, editing and cropping of videos can easily be done with it. Video and audio encoding can also be done with this software. Some of the prominent features include:

• Audio Editing can be done swiftly.
• It grants the user the control of the Subtitles.
• File conversion between different formats is an easy task with AvideMux.
• Entire project can be saved in One file.
• Uses one single interface for all jobs.

4. Blender

From 2002, Blender has been at the top of popularity charts for video editing. This is the popular video editor for 3D videos and it is commonly used for Rigging, Modeling, Texturing videos, animating, the simulation of smoke and water etc. This software is more suited for 3D video making. The popularity this software has can only be rivaled by very few in the market. The interface of Blender is very unique. Someone with no experience with Video Editing tool can have a hard time mastering it though. The video editing software is high end software which has features like:

• Advanced Simulation Tools.
• Advanced Level Animation Tools to create perfect animated bodies.
• Accumulates multiple scenes into one file.
• It is like a library for people who want to share and borrow video content which has been created.
• It is compatible for most of the operating systems.
• Consumes much less disk space.

5. HyperEngine AV

This little software is also a great one for video editing. One can easily use this to create slideshows. This is an award winning software from Arboretum Systems. The software has full source code integrated. One can edit the videos from his/her collection. Capturing video using the software is very easy. Audio processing, trackless document and many other edits are also possible using this piece of software. The important features of the software are:

• Dozens of effects are there to apply on a clip.
• FireWire DV camera is used to capture the images.
• Real time transition effects can be applied which are also automated.
• Trackless audio clips can be created through audio editing.

With the basic idea about the software and the features, we can do a small comparison to see which one gets the edge when we talk about video editors. Let us compare all five software in a table for differences and performances.

Features	Apple iMovie	AvideMux	Blender	HyperEngine	Wondershare Filmora
Speed	None	None	None	None	Excellent (30X faster)
Editing Type	Video/Audio	Video/Audio	3D Video/Audio	Video/Audio	Video/Audio/Photos
Mode Type	Single	Single	Single	Single	Two Modes. Easy Editor and Full Featured Editor Mode
Compatibility	Mac	Mac and Windows	Mac and Windows	Mac and Windows	Mac and Windows

With the above comparison, it is safe to say that the top three video converters are Blender, HyperEngine AV and Wondershare. But Wondershare has a slight edge over the two in terms of space taken and mode variations. Due to its two modes, novice users as well as professionals can perform great editing of videos, photos and audios. It supports photo editing which is a great plus for the users. It works as a good downloader and converter too. That is definitely a plus for all who use this software. Again, the compatibility is a great factor working towards its favor.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

We often tend to record our precious moments in video and tend to share them with others. There are many among us who like to give their videos an extra spark by editing them. For that, they use a number of video editing software that they get their hands on. To make your choice easier from thousands of software I am listing the top five in the business. My list includes Apple iMovie, Avidemux, Blender, HyperEngine AV Video Editing Software and last but not the least, Wondershare Filmora. Let us go over the specifications and shed light on the comparisons.

Top 5 MTS Video Editing Software Recommended

1. Wondershare Filmora

This is perhaps the most compact video editor that one can ask for in current time. The editor is very simple to use and suits every operating system be it windows or mac. Wondershare video Editor has two modes of use. One is Easy Editor Mode and the other is the Full Featured Mode. Users can choose the editing mode based on their experience and editing needs. Due to the features that it has, it can easily be placed at the top when considering video editing software genre. The most talked about features of this software are:

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

• The Software not only edits video and audio, it can even edit photos for videos.
• Picture-In-Picture videos, Title editing, transition effects, transitional videos can be created with this software.
• Audio can be edited separately and then can be merged with the video.
• The software can be a great converter as well.
• Supports a wide range of file types.
• One can post the videos in YouTube and Facebook after editing them.
• The software can download, convert and edit videos from different websites.

2. Apple iMovie

It is free video editing software that comes with the Mac OS every time a new one is released. The latest Apple iMovie version is 11. Although it is free, you will only avail the free version when a new Mac OS releases. For updating without moving to a new OS version of Mac, you have to buy it. It is good software to have for free for its features. Some of the key features are:

• It helps to create One Step Effect.
• Support for 2D and 3D videos
• Supports Audio Encoding.
• You can Create Movie Trailers using the software
• Supports MP4, M4V and MOV files.
• Share your videos online with ease.

3. AvideMux

You can do multipurpose video editing with this software. The best thing is that it is free. It is compatible to all the known operating systems for smooth using. Cutting, editing and cropping of videos can easily be done with it. Video and audio encoding can also be done with this software. Some of the prominent features include:

• Audio Editing can be done swiftly.
• It grants the user the control of the Subtitles.
• File conversion between different formats is an easy task with AvideMux.
• Entire project can be saved in One file.
• Uses one single interface for all jobs.

4. Blender

From 2002, Blender has been at the top of popularity charts for video editing. This is the popular video editor for 3D videos and it is commonly used for Rigging, Modeling, Texturing videos, animating, the simulation of smoke and water etc. This software is more suited for 3D video making. The popularity this software has can only be rivaled by very few in the market. The interface of Blender is very unique. Someone with no experience with Video Editing tool can have a hard time mastering it though. The video editing software is high end software which has features like:

• Advanced Simulation Tools.
• Advanced Level Animation Tools to create perfect animated bodies.
• Accumulates multiple scenes into one file.
• It is like a library for people who want to share and borrow video content which has been created.
• It is compatible for most of the operating systems.
• Consumes much less disk space.

5. HyperEngine AV

This little software is also a great one for video editing. One can easily use this to create slideshows. This is an award winning software from Arboretum Systems. The software has full source code integrated. One can edit the videos from his/her collection. Capturing video using the software is very easy. Audio processing, trackless document and many other edits are also possible using this piece of software. The important features of the software are:

• Dozens of effects are there to apply on a clip.
• FireWire DV camera is used to capture the images.
• Real time transition effects can be applied which are also automated.
• Trackless audio clips can be created through audio editing.

With the basic idea about the software and the features, we can do a small comparison to see which one gets the edge when we talk about video editors. Let us compare all five software in a table for differences and performances.

Features	Apple iMovie	AvideMux	Blender	HyperEngine	Wondershare Filmora
Speed	None	None	None	None	Excellent (30X faster)
Editing Type	Video/Audio	Video/Audio	3D Video/Audio	Video/Audio	Video/Audio/Photos
Mode Type	Single	Single	Single	Single	Two Modes. Easy Editor and Full Featured Editor Mode
Compatibility	Mac	Mac and Windows	Mac and Windows	Mac and Windows	Mac and Windows

With the above comparison, it is safe to say that the top three video converters are Blender, HyperEngine AV and Wondershare. But Wondershare has a slight edge over the two in terms of space taken and mode variations. Due to its two modes, novice users as well as professionals can perform great editing of videos, photos and audios. It supports photo editing which is a great plus for the users. It works as a good downloader and converter too. That is definitely a plus for all who use this software. Again, the compatibility is a great factor working towards its favor.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

We often tend to record our precious moments in video and tend to share them with others. There are many among us who like to give their videos an extra spark by editing them. For that, they use a number of video editing software that they get their hands on. To make your choice easier from thousands of software I am listing the top five in the business. My list includes Apple iMovie, Avidemux, Blender, HyperEngine AV Video Editing Software and last but not the least, Wondershare Filmora. Let us go over the specifications and shed light on the comparisons.

Top 5 MTS Video Editing Software Recommended

1. Wondershare Filmora

This is perhaps the most compact video editor that one can ask for in current time. The editor is very simple to use and suits every operating system be it windows or mac. Wondershare video Editor has two modes of use. One is Easy Editor Mode and the other is the Full Featured Mode. Users can choose the editing mode based on their experience and editing needs. Due to the features that it has, it can easily be placed at the top when considering video editing software genre. The most talked about features of this software are:

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

• The Software not only edits video and audio, it can even edit photos for videos.
• Picture-In-Picture videos, Title editing, transition effects, transitional videos can be created with this software.
• Audio can be edited separately and then can be merged with the video.
• The software can be a great converter as well.
• Supports a wide range of file types.
• One can post the videos in YouTube and Facebook after editing them.
• The software can download, convert and edit videos from different websites.

2. Apple iMovie

It is free video editing software that comes with the Mac OS every time a new one is released. The latest Apple iMovie version is 11. Although it is free, you will only avail the free version when a new Mac OS releases. For updating without moving to a new OS version of Mac, you have to buy it. It is good software to have for free for its features. Some of the key features are:

• It helps to create One Step Effect.
• Support for 2D and 3D videos
• Supports Audio Encoding.
• You can Create Movie Trailers using the software
• Supports MP4, M4V and MOV files.
• Share your videos online with ease.

3. AvideMux

You can do multipurpose video editing with this software. The best thing is that it is free. It is compatible to all the known operating systems for smooth using. Cutting, editing and cropping of videos can easily be done with it. Video and audio encoding can also be done with this software. Some of the prominent features include:

• Audio Editing can be done swiftly.
• It grants the user the control of the Subtitles.
• File conversion between different formats is an easy task with AvideMux.
• Entire project can be saved in One file.
• Uses one single interface for all jobs.

4. Blender

From 2002, Blender has been at the top of popularity charts for video editing. This is the popular video editor for 3D videos and it is commonly used for Rigging, Modeling, Texturing videos, animating, the simulation of smoke and water etc. This software is more suited for 3D video making. The popularity this software has can only be rivaled by very few in the market. The interface of Blender is very unique. Someone with no experience with Video Editing tool can have a hard time mastering it though. The video editing software is high end software which has features like:

• Advanced Simulation Tools.
• Advanced Level Animation Tools to create perfect animated bodies.
• Accumulates multiple scenes into one file.
• It is like a library for people who want to share and borrow video content which has been created.
• It is compatible for most of the operating systems.
• Consumes much less disk space.

5. HyperEngine AV

This little software is also a great one for video editing. One can easily use this to create slideshows. This is an award winning software from Arboretum Systems. The software has full source code integrated. One can edit the videos from his/her collection. Capturing video using the software is very easy. Audio processing, trackless document and many other edits are also possible using this piece of software. The important features of the software are:

• Dozens of effects are there to apply on a clip.
• FireWire DV camera is used to capture the images.
• Real time transition effects can be applied which are also automated.
• Trackless audio clips can be created through audio editing.

With the basic idea about the software and the features, we can do a small comparison to see which one gets the edge when we talk about video editors. Let us compare all five software in a table for differences and performances.

Features	Apple iMovie	AvideMux	Blender	HyperEngine	Wondershare Filmora
Speed	None	None	None	None	Excellent (30X faster)
Editing Type	Video/Audio	Video/Audio	3D Video/Audio	Video/Audio	Video/Audio/Photos
Mode Type	Single	Single	Single	Single	Two Modes. Easy Editor and Full Featured Editor Mode
Compatibility	Mac	Mac and Windows	Mac and Windows	Mac and Windows	Mac and Windows

With the above comparison, it is safe to say that the top three video converters are Blender, HyperEngine AV and Wondershare. But Wondershare has a slight edge over the two in terms of space taken and mode variations. Due to its two modes, novice users as well as professionals can perform great editing of videos, photos and audios. It supports photo editing which is a great plus for the users. It works as a good downloader and converter too. That is definitely a plus for all who use this software. Again, the compatibility is a great factor working towards its favor.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

We often tend to record our precious moments in video and tend to share them with others. There are many among us who like to give their videos an extra spark by editing them. For that, they use a number of video editing software that they get their hands on. To make your choice easier from thousands of software I am listing the top five in the business. My list includes Apple iMovie, Avidemux, Blender, HyperEngine AV Video Editing Software and last but not the least, Wondershare Filmora. Let us go over the specifications and shed light on the comparisons.

Top 5 MTS Video Editing Software Recommended

1. Wondershare Filmora

This is perhaps the most compact video editor that one can ask for in current time. The editor is very simple to use and suits every operating system be it windows or mac. Wondershare video Editor has two modes of use. One is Easy Editor Mode and the other is the Full Featured Mode. Users can choose the editing mode based on their experience and editing needs. Due to the features that it has, it can easily be placed at the top when considering video editing software genre. The most talked about features of this software are:

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

• The Software not only edits video and audio, it can even edit photos for videos.
• Picture-In-Picture videos, Title editing, transition effects, transitional videos can be created with this software.
• Audio can be edited separately and then can be merged with the video.
• The software can be a great converter as well.
• Supports a wide range of file types.
• One can post the videos in YouTube and Facebook after editing them.
• The software can download, convert and edit videos from different websites.

2. Apple iMovie

It is free video editing software that comes with the Mac OS every time a new one is released. The latest Apple iMovie version is 11. Although it is free, you will only avail the free version when a new Mac OS releases. For updating without moving to a new OS version of Mac, you have to buy it. It is good software to have for free for its features. Some of the key features are:

• It helps to create One Step Effect.
• Support for 2D and 3D videos
• Supports Audio Encoding.
• You can Create Movie Trailers using the software
• Supports MP4, M4V and MOV files.
• Share your videos online with ease.

3. AvideMux

You can do multipurpose video editing with this software. The best thing is that it is free. It is compatible to all the known operating systems for smooth using. Cutting, editing and cropping of videos can easily be done with it. Video and audio encoding can also be done with this software. Some of the prominent features include:

• Audio Editing can be done swiftly.
• It grants the user the control of the Subtitles.
• File conversion between different formats is an easy task with AvideMux.
• Entire project can be saved in One file.
• Uses one single interface for all jobs.

4. Blender

From 2002, Blender has been at the top of popularity charts for video editing. This is the popular video editor for 3D videos and it is commonly used for Rigging, Modeling, Texturing videos, animating, the simulation of smoke and water etc. This software is more suited for 3D video making. The popularity this software has can only be rivaled by very few in the market. The interface of Blender is very unique. Someone with no experience with Video Editing tool can have a hard time mastering it though. The video editing software is high end software which has features like:

• Advanced Simulation Tools.
• Advanced Level Animation Tools to create perfect animated bodies.
• Accumulates multiple scenes into one file.
• It is like a library for people who want to share and borrow video content which has been created.
• It is compatible for most of the operating systems.
• Consumes much less disk space.

5. HyperEngine AV

This little software is also a great one for video editing. One can easily use this to create slideshows. This is an award winning software from Arboretum Systems. The software has full source code integrated. One can edit the videos from his/her collection. Capturing video using the software is very easy. Audio processing, trackless document and many other edits are also possible using this piece of software. The important features of the software are:

• Dozens of effects are there to apply on a clip.
• FireWire DV camera is used to capture the images.
• Real time transition effects can be applied which are also automated.
• Trackless audio clips can be created through audio editing.

With the basic idea about the software and the features, we can do a small comparison to see which one gets the edge when we talk about video editors. Let us compare all five software in a table for differences and performances.

Features	Apple iMovie	AvideMux	Blender	HyperEngine	Wondershare Filmora
Speed	None	None	None	None	Excellent (30X faster)
Editing Type	Video/Audio	Video/Audio	3D Video/Audio	Video/Audio	Video/Audio/Photos
Mode Type	Single	Single	Single	Single	Two Modes. Easy Editor and Full Featured Editor Mode
Compatibility	Mac	Mac and Windows	Mac and Windows	Mac and Windows	Mac and Windows

With the above comparison, it is safe to say that the top three video converters are Blender, HyperEngine AV and Wondershare. But Wondershare has a slight edge over the two in terms of space taken and mode variations. Due to its two modes, novice users as well as professionals can perform great editing of videos, photos and audios. It supports photo editing which is a great plus for the users. It works as a good downloader and converter too. That is definitely a plus for all who use this software. Again, the compatibility is a great factor working towards its favor.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Free Image Heaven: Top 10 Public Domain Sites

10 Best Public Domain Image Websites

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Finding an image you like on the Internet doesn’t take long, since almost every website you can stumble upon, contains at least one picture. This doesn’t mean that you can just download any photo and use it in your blog, online marketing campaign or for any other purpose. Moreover, stock image websites like Getty Images or iStock let you purchase the right to use a photo commercially. As a reaction to an expanding stock image industry, many photographers, museums and cultural institutions are choosing to forfeit their rights and to publish public domain images. So, in this article, we are going to take you through the ten best public domain image websites where you can download pictures for free.

What Are Public Domain Images?

By definition, public domain images are photos, vectors or clip art that are available to anyone because their copyright has either expired or they never had a copyright owner. Consequently, anyone can use these images for both commercial or private projects without having to purchase the rights to do so. An image can enter a public domain under the following circumstances:

• Scientists, educators or artists can use the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license to dedicate their images to the public domain
• A picture’s copyright is no longer in effect
• A photo was never the subject to copyright

It is of utmost importance to check if an image is within the public domain before you use it publicly in order to avoid potential legal complications.

How and Where to Find Public Domain Images?

A simple google search will reveal hundreds of websites that let you download public domain and royalty-free images. Which source you’re going to use depends on the type of image you’re looking for, since some websites are dedicated only to photography, while others feature impressive collections of public domain images of artworks. In addition, you’ll only want to download public domain images from the websites that offer information about the author because using a public domain image without crediting its author is strictly prohibited.

Best Websites for Downloading Public Domain Images

We’ve searched the Internet and we utilized our results to compile a collection of the most reliable websites that grant its users access to vast numbers of public domain images. Let’s take a look at some of the best websites that let you download public domain images.

1. Pexels

Graphic designers and all other creatives in constant need of a fresh supply of public domain images don’t need a special introduction to Pexels. The stock image platform is dedicated to photography and video, so you can’t use it to search for vectors or clip art. Even so, you can use Pexles to search for public domain images based on a particular keyword or browse through its collection of free images and discover photos spontaneously. Clicking on the Popular Searches tab will enable you to see the images from Light, Nature or Animals and it will shorten the amount of time you have to spend looking for a photo you want to download.

Pros:

• Neatly organized website
• Free and easy sign-up
• Offers a huge selection of free public domain images and videos according to the CC0 license
• Hand-picked High quality Images

Cons:

• Some categories should contain more images
• Optimizing the search terms can be difficult

2. Pixabay

Besides offering an impressive collection of royalty-free photos, Pixabay also lets you search for public domain vectors, illustrations, and videos. The website hosts more than a million high-resolution photos and videos you can download for free. To make things even better, becoming a member of the Pixabay’s community and creating an account on this platform won’t take more than a few minutes of your time. Pixabay also offers advanced search tools that enable you to combine searches, search for the author of an image or group search terms. In addition, you can also browse through the photographers that contribute their images to the platform on a regular basis.

Pros:

• Powerful search tools and various filters
• Huge collection of public domain images

Cons

• Customer support could be better

3. Wikimedia Commons

This is probably the largest website on the Internet where you can download public domain images. There are more than 49 million images, illustrations, vector graphics and videos available that can be downloaded for free. Some media files on Wikimedia Commons have certain restrictions, but these restrictions are mostly related to image citations, which means that you can use them only if you credit the author. Such a huge selection of media files can be overwhelming for the newcomers to the Wikimedia Commons platform, but once you grow accustomed to the website’s interface discovering images becomes a straightforward process.

Pros:

• All images are available in high resolution
• Nearly all images can be used without any restrictions

Cons:

• Getting used to the website’s interface takes time
• The number of search results can be overwhelming

4. Flickr Commons

For more than a decade Flickr has been a popular online destination for photographers in need of a platform that enables them to present their work. The Flickr Commons is a project that unites more than a hundred institutions in an effort to create a library of public domain images. The project makes available a stunning amount of historical photographs and it grants you access to highly esteemed collections of photographs. Flick Commons is perfectly suited for researchers and scholars in need of public domain photos, they can use in their essays or research papers.

Pros:

• Unlimited access to historical photos
• Extends the knowledge available to the general public

Cons:

• Doesn’t offer videos or illustrations
• Search results are poorly organized

5. Unsplash

With a library that contains over 800,000 photos, Unsplash is easily one of the largest websites that offer public domain images. All pictures on this platform are organized into different categories, which makes finding a photo you want to use in a commercial or non-commercial project a relatively simple process. Alternatively, you can insert a keyword into a search bar and Unsplash will show you the results within seconds. However, the images you can find on this platform are similar to those you can purchase on stock photography websites, although some of them have an artistic touch that is hard to find on the majority of stock photos.

Pros:

• Excellent source of high-resolution photos
• Quick and easy search

Cons:

• Unsplash is dedicated solely to photography
• Limited amount of available public domain images

6. From Old Books

In case you are searching for images from old books you should look no further. This is a private collection of 2,600 images that are hard to find anywhere else on the Internet. You can browse through woodcuts, old texts or old holiday images, which makes this platform an excellent choice for anyone interested in rare images that were featured in old books. All pictures you can find on the From Old Books website are free to use on non-commercial projects, but you must pay a small fee if you want to download a high-resolution image you can use on a commercial project.

• Images are organized into categories
• Access to rare images

Cons

• Some images are not free
• Rudimentary website design

7. Morguefile

Morguefile is a website that offers stock footage to its users, but some of the images can’t be downloaded for free. That’s why you must click on the Free Photos tab before you start searching for public domain images on this website. The website hosts nearly 400.000 photos, videos, and vector graphics, but you must make sure that a file you want to download is within the public domain before you download it. The only downside is that the images aren’t organized into categories which can make finding the images you’re searching for more difficult than it needs to be.

Pros:

• Creating an account on Morguefile is free
• All free photos can be used on commercial projects

Cons:

• Images can be organized better
• Fewer free images than on other public domain image websites

8. Public Domain Archive

As the website’s name indicates, this is an archive of public domain images you can download for free and use in commercial contexts. All photos are organized into categories like abstract, free stock photos, people or wood which makes the search simpler. However, these categories don’t contain more than a few hundred photos and some of them offer as few as five pictures you can download. All photos are in high resolution and ready for professional use. The download process can be completed effortlessly in just a few quick steps. New images are added on a weekly basis.

Pros:

• Professional quality of images
• All images are free

Cons:

• A limited selection of photos
• Doesn’t offer vector graphics

9. NYPL Digital Gallery

NYPL Digital Gallery is an excellent resource for anyone who is not interested in stock photography. The New Your Public Library has made hundreds of thousands of historical images available to the public and you can use it to browse through items, collections or divisions. Before you enter a keyword you should click on the search only public domain materials tick box to ensure that the search results are going to display only images that can be used without restrictions. Additionally, the NYPL Digital Gallery lets you browse through its collection of digital books while its collections of photographs include the work of some of the highly esteemed American photographers.

Pros

• Public domain images are available in different resolutions
• Offers valuable research materials

Cons

• Some images are subject to copyright
• Only aimed at scholars and researchers

10. Viintage

Viintage is a gold mine for graphic designers as it grants them access to hundreds of vintage posters, book covers, and images. However, the amount of public domain images this website offers is limited and if you want to download the images from the collections of works created by famous artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries you must purchase the premium version of Viintage. The website lacks some basic search options as it only allows you to type in the search term into the search bar. The images are not organized into categories which further complicates the process of finding a public domain image you’re looking for.

Pros:

• Offers a collection of rare vintage public domain images
• A great resource for graphic designers

Cons:

• Most images on Viintage can’t be downloaded for free
• Search tools are far from perfect

You may also like: Best Image Hosting Sites >>

How to Cite Public Domain Images Properly?

If you’re planning on using a public domain image in a blog or on your website, you must cite the source from which you acquired a particular image. The image citations should include the following information:

• The title of the image
• Author’s name
• Information about the institution at which an image is kept
• The source from which you acquired an image

In case you don’t have access to all of these information or if the information is simply not available you should include all details about a public domain image you have the access to. Furthermore, there are several styles of image citations that depend on the source from which an image was acquired.

Conclusion

Spending large sums of money on images you can use in commercial or private projects is not always necessary. The public domain images are widely available and they can be used in a broad range of contexts. Which website that lets you download public domain images do you like to use the most? Leave a comment and share your opinions with us.

Dont worry when you forget the syntax of an HTML element, like and iframe, a link, a table, an image or anything else. Visit HTML CheatSheet and generate the code you need.

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Finding an image you like on the Internet doesn’t take long, since almost every website you can stumble upon, contains at least one picture. This doesn’t mean that you can just download any photo and use it in your blog, online marketing campaign or for any other purpose. Moreover, stock image websites like Getty Images or iStock let you purchase the right to use a photo commercially. As a reaction to an expanding stock image industry, many photographers, museums and cultural institutions are choosing to forfeit their rights and to publish public domain images. So, in this article, we are going to take you through the ten best public domain image websites where you can download pictures for free.

What Are Public Domain Images?

By definition, public domain images are photos, vectors or clip art that are available to anyone because their copyright has either expired or they never had a copyright owner. Consequently, anyone can use these images for both commercial or private projects without having to purchase the rights to do so. An image can enter a public domain under the following circumstances:

• Scientists, educators or artists can use the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license to dedicate their images to the public domain
• A picture’s copyright is no longer in effect
• A photo was never the subject to copyright

It is of utmost importance to check if an image is within the public domain before you use it publicly in order to avoid potential legal complications.

How and Where to Find Public Domain Images?

A simple google search will reveal hundreds of websites that let you download public domain and royalty-free images. Which source you’re going to use depends on the type of image you’re looking for, since some websites are dedicated only to photography, while others feature impressive collections of public domain images of artworks. In addition, you’ll only want to download public domain images from the websites that offer information about the author because using a public domain image without crediting its author is strictly prohibited.

Best Websites for Downloading Public Domain Images

We’ve searched the Internet and we utilized our results to compile a collection of the most reliable websites that grant its users access to vast numbers of public domain images. Let’s take a look at some of the best websites that let you download public domain images.

1. Pexels

Graphic designers and all other creatives in constant need of a fresh supply of public domain images don’t need a special introduction to Pexels. The stock image platform is dedicated to photography and video, so you can’t use it to search for vectors or clip art. Even so, you can use Pexles to search for public domain images based on a particular keyword or browse through its collection of free images and discover photos spontaneously. Clicking on the Popular Searches tab will enable you to see the images from Light, Nature or Animals and it will shorten the amount of time you have to spend looking for a photo you want to download.

Pros:

• Neatly organized website
• Free and easy sign-up
• Offers a huge selection of free public domain images and videos according to the CC0 license
• Hand-picked High quality Images

Cons:

• Some categories should contain more images
• Optimizing the search terms can be difficult

2. Pixabay

Besides offering an impressive collection of royalty-free photos, Pixabay also lets you search for public domain vectors, illustrations, and videos. The website hosts more than a million high-resolution photos and videos you can download for free. To make things even better, becoming a member of the Pixabay’s community and creating an account on this platform won’t take more than a few minutes of your time. Pixabay also offers advanced search tools that enable you to combine searches, search for the author of an image or group search terms. In addition, you can also browse through the photographers that contribute their images to the platform on a regular basis.

Pros:

• Powerful search tools and various filters
• Huge collection of public domain images

Cons

• Customer support could be better

3. Wikimedia Commons

This is probably the largest website on the Internet where you can download public domain images. There are more than 49 million images, illustrations, vector graphics and videos available that can be downloaded for free. Some media files on Wikimedia Commons have certain restrictions, but these restrictions are mostly related to image citations, which means that you can use them only if you credit the author. Such a huge selection of media files can be overwhelming for the newcomers to the Wikimedia Commons platform, but once you grow accustomed to the website’s interface discovering images becomes a straightforward process.

Pros:

• All images are available in high resolution
• Nearly all images can be used without any restrictions

Cons:

• Getting used to the website’s interface takes time
• The number of search results can be overwhelming

4. Flickr Commons

For more than a decade Flickr has been a popular online destination for photographers in need of a platform that enables them to present their work. The Flickr Commons is a project that unites more than a hundred institutions in an effort to create a library of public domain images. The project makes available a stunning amount of historical photographs and it grants you access to highly esteemed collections of photographs. Flick Commons is perfectly suited for researchers and scholars in need of public domain photos, they can use in their essays or research papers.

Pros:

• Unlimited access to historical photos
• Extends the knowledge available to the general public

Cons:

• Doesn’t offer videos or illustrations
• Search results are poorly organized

5. Unsplash

With a library that contains over 800,000 photos, Unsplash is easily one of the largest websites that offer public domain images. All pictures on this platform are organized into different categories, which makes finding a photo you want to use in a commercial or non-commercial project a relatively simple process. Alternatively, you can insert a keyword into a search bar and Unsplash will show you the results within seconds. However, the images you can find on this platform are similar to those you can purchase on stock photography websites, although some of them have an artistic touch that is hard to find on the majority of stock photos.

Pros:

• Excellent source of high-resolution photos
• Quick and easy search

Cons:

• Unsplash is dedicated solely to photography
• Limited amount of available public domain images

6. From Old Books

In case you are searching for images from old books you should look no further. This is a private collection of 2,600 images that are hard to find anywhere else on the Internet. You can browse through woodcuts, old texts or old holiday images, which makes this platform an excellent choice for anyone interested in rare images that were featured in old books. All pictures you can find on the From Old Books website are free to use on non-commercial projects, but you must pay a small fee if you want to download a high-resolution image you can use on a commercial project.

• Images are organized into categories
• Access to rare images

Cons

• Some images are not free
• Rudimentary website design

7. Morguefile

Morguefile is a website that offers stock footage to its users, but some of the images can’t be downloaded for free. That’s why you must click on the Free Photos tab before you start searching for public domain images on this website. The website hosts nearly 400.000 photos, videos, and vector graphics, but you must make sure that a file you want to download is within the public domain before you download it. The only downside is that the images aren’t organized into categories which can make finding the images you’re searching for more difficult than it needs to be.

Pros:

• Creating an account on Morguefile is free
• All free photos can be used on commercial projects

Cons:

• Images can be organized better
• Fewer free images than on other public domain image websites

8. Public Domain Archive

As the website’s name indicates, this is an archive of public domain images you can download for free and use in commercial contexts. All photos are organized into categories like abstract, free stock photos, people or wood which makes the search simpler. However, these categories don’t contain more than a few hundred photos and some of them offer as few as five pictures you can download. All photos are in high resolution and ready for professional use. The download process can be completed effortlessly in just a few quick steps. New images are added on a weekly basis.

Pros:

• Professional quality of images
• All images are free

Cons:

• A limited selection of photos
• Doesn’t offer vector graphics

9. NYPL Digital Gallery

NYPL Digital Gallery is an excellent resource for anyone who is not interested in stock photography. The New Your Public Library has made hundreds of thousands of historical images available to the public and you can use it to browse through items, collections or divisions. Before you enter a keyword you should click on the search only public domain materials tick box to ensure that the search results are going to display only images that can be used without restrictions. Additionally, the NYPL Digital Gallery lets you browse through its collection of digital books while its collections of photographs include the work of some of the highly esteemed American photographers.

Pros

• Public domain images are available in different resolutions
• Offers valuable research materials

Cons

• Some images are subject to copyright
• Only aimed at scholars and researchers

10. Viintage

Viintage is a gold mine for graphic designers as it grants them access to hundreds of vintage posters, book covers, and images. However, the amount of public domain images this website offers is limited and if you want to download the images from the collections of works created by famous artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries you must purchase the premium version of Viintage. The website lacks some basic search options as it only allows you to type in the search term into the search bar. The images are not organized into categories which further complicates the process of finding a public domain image you’re looking for.

Pros:

• Offers a collection of rare vintage public domain images
• A great resource for graphic designers

Cons:

• Most images on Viintage can’t be downloaded for free
• Search tools are far from perfect

You may also like: Best Image Hosting Sites >>

How to Cite Public Domain Images Properly?

If you’re planning on using a public domain image in a blog or on your website, you must cite the source from which you acquired a particular image. The image citations should include the following information:

• The title of the image
• Author’s name
• Information about the institution at which an image is kept
• The source from which you acquired an image

In case you don’t have access to all of these information or if the information is simply not available you should include all details about a public domain image you have the access to. Furthermore, there are several styles of image citations that depend on the source from which an image was acquired.

Conclusion

Spending large sums of money on images you can use in commercial or private projects is not always necessary. The public domain images are widely available and they can be used in a broad range of contexts. Which website that lets you download public domain images do you like to use the most? Leave a comment and share your opinions with us.

Dont worry when you forget the syntax of an HTML element, like and iframe, a link, a table, an image or anything else. Visit HTML CheatSheet and generate the code you need.

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Finding an image you like on the Internet doesn’t take long, since almost every website you can stumble upon, contains at least one picture. This doesn’t mean that you can just download any photo and use it in your blog, online marketing campaign or for any other purpose. Moreover, stock image websites like Getty Images or iStock let you purchase the right to use a photo commercially. As a reaction to an expanding stock image industry, many photographers, museums and cultural institutions are choosing to forfeit their rights and to publish public domain images. So, in this article, we are going to take you through the ten best public domain image websites where you can download pictures for free.

What Are Public Domain Images?

By definition, public domain images are photos, vectors or clip art that are available to anyone because their copyright has either expired or they never had a copyright owner. Consequently, anyone can use these images for both commercial or private projects without having to purchase the rights to do so. An image can enter a public domain under the following circumstances:

• Scientists, educators or artists can use the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license to dedicate their images to the public domain
• A picture’s copyright is no longer in effect
• A photo was never the subject to copyright

It is of utmost importance to check if an image is within the public domain before you use it publicly in order to avoid potential legal complications.

How and Where to Find Public Domain Images?

A simple google search will reveal hundreds of websites that let you download public domain and royalty-free images. Which source you’re going to use depends on the type of image you’re looking for, since some websites are dedicated only to photography, while others feature impressive collections of public domain images of artworks. In addition, you’ll only want to download public domain images from the websites that offer information about the author because using a public domain image without crediting its author is strictly prohibited.

Best Websites for Downloading Public Domain Images

We’ve searched the Internet and we utilized our results to compile a collection of the most reliable websites that grant its users access to vast numbers of public domain images. Let’s take a look at some of the best websites that let you download public domain images.

1. Pexels

Graphic designers and all other creatives in constant need of a fresh supply of public domain images don’t need a special introduction to Pexels. The stock image platform is dedicated to photography and video, so you can’t use it to search for vectors or clip art. Even so, you can use Pexles to search for public domain images based on a particular keyword or browse through its collection of free images and discover photos spontaneously. Clicking on the Popular Searches tab will enable you to see the images from Light, Nature or Animals and it will shorten the amount of time you have to spend looking for a photo you want to download.

Pros:

• Neatly organized website
• Free and easy sign-up
• Offers a huge selection of free public domain images and videos according to the CC0 license
• Hand-picked High quality Images

Cons:

• Some categories should contain more images
• Optimizing the search terms can be difficult

2. Pixabay

Besides offering an impressive collection of royalty-free photos, Pixabay also lets you search for public domain vectors, illustrations, and videos. The website hosts more than a million high-resolution photos and videos you can download for free. To make things even better, becoming a member of the Pixabay’s community and creating an account on this platform won’t take more than a few minutes of your time. Pixabay also offers advanced search tools that enable you to combine searches, search for the author of an image or group search terms. In addition, you can also browse through the photographers that contribute their images to the platform on a regular basis.

Pros:

• Powerful search tools and various filters
• Huge collection of public domain images

Cons

• Customer support could be better

3. Wikimedia Commons

This is probably the largest website on the Internet where you can download public domain images. There are more than 49 million images, illustrations, vector graphics and videos available that can be downloaded for free. Some media files on Wikimedia Commons have certain restrictions, but these restrictions are mostly related to image citations, which means that you can use them only if you credit the author. Such a huge selection of media files can be overwhelming for the newcomers to the Wikimedia Commons platform, but once you grow accustomed to the website’s interface discovering images becomes a straightforward process.

Pros:

• All images are available in high resolution
• Nearly all images can be used without any restrictions

Cons:

• Getting used to the website’s interface takes time
• The number of search results can be overwhelming

4. Flickr Commons

For more than a decade Flickr has been a popular online destination for photographers in need of a platform that enables them to present their work. The Flickr Commons is a project that unites more than a hundred institutions in an effort to create a library of public domain images. The project makes available a stunning amount of historical photographs and it grants you access to highly esteemed collections of photographs. Flick Commons is perfectly suited for researchers and scholars in need of public domain photos, they can use in their essays or research papers.

Pros:

• Unlimited access to historical photos
• Extends the knowledge available to the general public

Cons:

• Doesn’t offer videos or illustrations
• Search results are poorly organized

5. Unsplash

With a library that contains over 800,000 photos, Unsplash is easily one of the largest websites that offer public domain images. All pictures on this platform are organized into different categories, which makes finding a photo you want to use in a commercial or non-commercial project a relatively simple process. Alternatively, you can insert a keyword into a search bar and Unsplash will show you the results within seconds. However, the images you can find on this platform are similar to those you can purchase on stock photography websites, although some of them have an artistic touch that is hard to find on the majority of stock photos.

Pros:

• Excellent source of high-resolution photos
• Quick and easy search

Cons:

• Unsplash is dedicated solely to photography
• Limited amount of available public domain images

6. From Old Books

In case you are searching for images from old books you should look no further. This is a private collection of 2,600 images that are hard to find anywhere else on the Internet. You can browse through woodcuts, old texts or old holiday images, which makes this platform an excellent choice for anyone interested in rare images that were featured in old books. All pictures you can find on the From Old Books website are free to use on non-commercial projects, but you must pay a small fee if you want to download a high-resolution image you can use on a commercial project.

• Images are organized into categories
• Access to rare images

Cons

• Some images are not free
• Rudimentary website design

7. Morguefile

Morguefile is a website that offers stock footage to its users, but some of the images can’t be downloaded for free. That’s why you must click on the Free Photos tab before you start searching for public domain images on this website. The website hosts nearly 400.000 photos, videos, and vector graphics, but you must make sure that a file you want to download is within the public domain before you download it. The only downside is that the images aren’t organized into categories which can make finding the images you’re searching for more difficult than it needs to be.

Pros:

• Creating an account on Morguefile is free
• All free photos can be used on commercial projects

Cons:

• Images can be organized better
• Fewer free images than on other public domain image websites

8. Public Domain Archive

As the website’s name indicates, this is an archive of public domain images you can download for free and use in commercial contexts. All photos are organized into categories like abstract, free stock photos, people or wood which makes the search simpler. However, these categories don’t contain more than a few hundred photos and some of them offer as few as five pictures you can download. All photos are in high resolution and ready for professional use. The download process can be completed effortlessly in just a few quick steps. New images are added on a weekly basis.

Pros:

• Professional quality of images
• All images are free

Cons:

• A limited selection of photos
• Doesn’t offer vector graphics

9. NYPL Digital Gallery

NYPL Digital Gallery is an excellent resource for anyone who is not interested in stock photography. The New Your Public Library has made hundreds of thousands of historical images available to the public and you can use it to browse through items, collections or divisions. Before you enter a keyword you should click on the search only public domain materials tick box to ensure that the search results are going to display only images that can be used without restrictions. Additionally, the NYPL Digital Gallery lets you browse through its collection of digital books while its collections of photographs include the work of some of the highly esteemed American photographers.

Pros

• Public domain images are available in different resolutions
• Offers valuable research materials

Cons

• Some images are subject to copyright
• Only aimed at scholars and researchers

10. Viintage

Viintage is a gold mine for graphic designers as it grants them access to hundreds of vintage posters, book covers, and images. However, the amount of public domain images this website offers is limited and if you want to download the images from the collections of works created by famous artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries you must purchase the premium version of Viintage. The website lacks some basic search options as it only allows you to type in the search term into the search bar. The images are not organized into categories which further complicates the process of finding a public domain image you’re looking for.

Pros:

• Offers a collection of rare vintage public domain images
• A great resource for graphic designers

Cons:

• Most images on Viintage can’t be downloaded for free
• Search tools are far from perfect

You may also like: Best Image Hosting Sites >>

How to Cite Public Domain Images Properly?

If you’re planning on using a public domain image in a blog or on your website, you must cite the source from which you acquired a particular image. The image citations should include the following information:

• The title of the image
• Author’s name
• Information about the institution at which an image is kept
• The source from which you acquired an image

In case you don’t have access to all of these information or if the information is simply not available you should include all details about a public domain image you have the access to. Furthermore, there are several styles of image citations that depend on the source from which an image was acquired.

Conclusion

Spending large sums of money on images you can use in commercial or private projects is not always necessary. The public domain images are widely available and they can be used in a broad range of contexts. Which website that lets you download public domain images do you like to use the most? Leave a comment and share your opinions with us.

Dont worry when you forget the syntax of an HTML element, like and iframe, a link, a table, an image or anything else. Visit HTML CheatSheet and generate the code you need.

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Finding an image you like on the Internet doesn’t take long, since almost every website you can stumble upon, contains at least one picture. This doesn’t mean that you can just download any photo and use it in your blog, online marketing campaign or for any other purpose. Moreover, stock image websites like Getty Images or iStock let you purchase the right to use a photo commercially. As a reaction to an expanding stock image industry, many photographers, museums and cultural institutions are choosing to forfeit their rights and to publish public domain images. So, in this article, we are going to take you through the ten best public domain image websites where you can download pictures for free.

What Are Public Domain Images?

By definition, public domain images are photos, vectors or clip art that are available to anyone because their copyright has either expired or they never had a copyright owner. Consequently, anyone can use these images for both commercial or private projects without having to purchase the rights to do so. An image can enter a public domain under the following circumstances:

• Scientists, educators or artists can use the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license to dedicate their images to the public domain
• A picture’s copyright is no longer in effect
• A photo was never the subject to copyright

It is of utmost importance to check if an image is within the public domain before you use it publicly in order to avoid potential legal complications.

How and Where to Find Public Domain Images?

A simple google search will reveal hundreds of websites that let you download public domain and royalty-free images. Which source you’re going to use depends on the type of image you’re looking for, since some websites are dedicated only to photography, while others feature impressive collections of public domain images of artworks. In addition, you’ll only want to download public domain images from the websites that offer information about the author because using a public domain image without crediting its author is strictly prohibited.

Best Websites for Downloading Public Domain Images

We’ve searched the Internet and we utilized our results to compile a collection of the most reliable websites that grant its users access to vast numbers of public domain images. Let’s take a look at some of the best websites that let you download public domain images.

1. Pexels

Graphic designers and all other creatives in constant need of a fresh supply of public domain images don’t need a special introduction to Pexels. The stock image platform is dedicated to photography and video, so you can’t use it to search for vectors or clip art. Even so, you can use Pexles to search for public domain images based on a particular keyword or browse through its collection of free images and discover photos spontaneously. Clicking on the Popular Searches tab will enable you to see the images from Light, Nature or Animals and it will shorten the amount of time you have to spend looking for a photo you want to download.

Pros:

• Neatly organized website
• Free and easy sign-up
• Offers a huge selection of free public domain images and videos according to the CC0 license
• Hand-picked High quality Images

Cons:

• Some categories should contain more images
• Optimizing the search terms can be difficult

2. Pixabay

Besides offering an impressive collection of royalty-free photos, Pixabay also lets you search for public domain vectors, illustrations, and videos. The website hosts more than a million high-resolution photos and videos you can download for free. To make things even better, becoming a member of the Pixabay’s community and creating an account on this platform won’t take more than a few minutes of your time. Pixabay also offers advanced search tools that enable you to combine searches, search for the author of an image or group search terms. In addition, you can also browse through the photographers that contribute their images to the platform on a regular basis.

Pros:

• Powerful search tools and various filters
• Huge collection of public domain images

Cons

• Customer support could be better

3. Wikimedia Commons

This is probably the largest website on the Internet where you can download public domain images. There are more than 49 million images, illustrations, vector graphics and videos available that can be downloaded for free. Some media files on Wikimedia Commons have certain restrictions, but these restrictions are mostly related to image citations, which means that you can use them only if you credit the author. Such a huge selection of media files can be overwhelming for the newcomers to the Wikimedia Commons platform, but once you grow accustomed to the website’s interface discovering images becomes a straightforward process.

Pros:

• All images are available in high resolution
• Nearly all images can be used without any restrictions

Cons:

• Getting used to the website’s interface takes time
• The number of search results can be overwhelming

4. Flickr Commons

For more than a decade Flickr has been a popular online destination for photographers in need of a platform that enables them to present their work. The Flickr Commons is a project that unites more than a hundred institutions in an effort to create a library of public domain images. The project makes available a stunning amount of historical photographs and it grants you access to highly esteemed collections of photographs. Flick Commons is perfectly suited for researchers and scholars in need of public domain photos, they can use in their essays or research papers.

Pros:

• Unlimited access to historical photos
• Extends the knowledge available to the general public

Cons:

• Doesn’t offer videos or illustrations
• Search results are poorly organized

5. Unsplash

With a library that contains over 800,000 photos, Unsplash is easily one of the largest websites that offer public domain images. All pictures on this platform are organized into different categories, which makes finding a photo you want to use in a commercial or non-commercial project a relatively simple process. Alternatively, you can insert a keyword into a search bar and Unsplash will show you the results within seconds. However, the images you can find on this platform are similar to those you can purchase on stock photography websites, although some of them have an artistic touch that is hard to find on the majority of stock photos.

Pros:

• Excellent source of high-resolution photos
• Quick and easy search

Cons:

• Unsplash is dedicated solely to photography
• Limited amount of available public domain images

6. From Old Books

In case you are searching for images from old books you should look no further. This is a private collection of 2,600 images that are hard to find anywhere else on the Internet. You can browse through woodcuts, old texts or old holiday images, which makes this platform an excellent choice for anyone interested in rare images that were featured in old books. All pictures you can find on the From Old Books website are free to use on non-commercial projects, but you must pay a small fee if you want to download a high-resolution image you can use on a commercial project.

• Images are organized into categories
• Access to rare images

Cons

• Some images are not free
• Rudimentary website design

7. Morguefile

Morguefile is a website that offers stock footage to its users, but some of the images can’t be downloaded for free. That’s why you must click on the Free Photos tab before you start searching for public domain images on this website. The website hosts nearly 400.000 photos, videos, and vector graphics, but you must make sure that a file you want to download is within the public domain before you download it. The only downside is that the images aren’t organized into categories which can make finding the images you’re searching for more difficult than it needs to be.

Pros:

• Creating an account on Morguefile is free
• All free photos can be used on commercial projects

Cons:

• Images can be organized better
• Fewer free images than on other public domain image websites

8. Public Domain Archive

As the website’s name indicates, this is an archive of public domain images you can download for free and use in commercial contexts. All photos are organized into categories like abstract, free stock photos, people or wood which makes the search simpler. However, these categories don’t contain more than a few hundred photos and some of them offer as few as five pictures you can download. All photos are in high resolution and ready for professional use. The download process can be completed effortlessly in just a few quick steps. New images are added on a weekly basis.

Pros:

• Professional quality of images
• All images are free

Cons:

• A limited selection of photos
• Doesn’t offer vector graphics

9. NYPL Digital Gallery

NYPL Digital Gallery is an excellent resource for anyone who is not interested in stock photography. The New Your Public Library has made hundreds of thousands of historical images available to the public and you can use it to browse through items, collections or divisions. Before you enter a keyword you should click on the search only public domain materials tick box to ensure that the search results are going to display only images that can be used without restrictions. Additionally, the NYPL Digital Gallery lets you browse through its collection of digital books while its collections of photographs include the work of some of the highly esteemed American photographers.

Pros

• Public domain images are available in different resolutions
• Offers valuable research materials

Cons

• Some images are subject to copyright
• Only aimed at scholars and researchers

10. Viintage

Viintage is a gold mine for graphic designers as it grants them access to hundreds of vintage posters, book covers, and images. However, the amount of public domain images this website offers is limited and if you want to download the images from the collections of works created by famous artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries you must purchase the premium version of Viintage. The website lacks some basic search options as it only allows you to type in the search term into the search bar. The images are not organized into categories which further complicates the process of finding a public domain image you’re looking for.

Pros:

• Offers a collection of rare vintage public domain images
• A great resource for graphic designers

Cons:

• Most images on Viintage can’t be downloaded for free
• Search tools are far from perfect

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How to Cite Public Domain Images Properly?

If you’re planning on using a public domain image in a blog or on your website, you must cite the source from which you acquired a particular image. The image citations should include the following information:

• The title of the image
• Author’s name
• Information about the institution at which an image is kept
• The source from which you acquired an image

In case you don’t have access to all of these information or if the information is simply not available you should include all details about a public domain image you have the access to. Furthermore, there are several styles of image citations that depend on the source from which an image was acquired.

Conclusion

Spending large sums of money on images you can use in commercial or private projects is not always necessary. The public domain images are widely available and they can be used in a broad range of contexts. Which website that lets you download public domain images do you like to use the most? Leave a comment and share your opinions with us.

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Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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